Weekend box-office – 8th to 14th of September 2014 – will Ouija evade Nightcrawler?

Paranormal Activity has numerous critics but no one can deny that it has revolutionised both horror and modern cinema by proving that films costing seemingly low amounts of money can rake in the cash at the box office, particularly in America. This year the likes of Annabelle and The Purge: Anarchy have proved this and now the heavily maligned Ouija has reached the number one spot. In its second week it faces off with the new, acclaimed dark thriller Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Paxton, and last week we predicted it’d beat Ouija but let’s see what really went down.

US:

1. Ouija – Director: Stiles White – $10.7 million
2. Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy – $10.4 million
3. Fury – David Ayer – $8.8 million
4. Gone Girl – David Fincher – $8.5 million
5. The Book of Life – Jorge R Gutierrez – $8.2 million

UK:

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Jonathan Liebesman – £1.4 million
2. Ouija – Stiles White – £1.4 million
3. Fury – David Ayer – £1.2 million
4. Gone Girl – David Fincher – £1.1 million
5. The Book of Life – Jorge R Gutierrez – £1.1 million

There was very little separating the top 5 on either side of the Atlantic. Ouija just got the edge on Nightcrawler, which still made a fairly healthy debut. The US and UK have an identical 3-5 featuring tense WWII thriller Fury, dark disapperance drama Gone Girl and colourful Mexican animation The Book of Life. In the UK action comedy reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reclaimed pole position, defeating Ouija. This week I’ve scored a dismal 1/10.

US:

1. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
3. Ouija – Stiles White
4. Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
5. Fury – David Ayer

UK:

1. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Jonathan Liebesman
3. Ouija – Stiles White
4. Say When – Lynn Shelton
5. Fury – David Ayer

Olivia Cooke in Ouija, this week’s US number one.

Megan Fox in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 27th of September to 3rd October 2014 – will Neeson get lost in The Maze Runner or take A Walk Among the Tombstones?

The great American box-office dry spell ended last week as Idris Elba thriller No Good Deed took the top spot from Guardians of the Galaxy (the end of an era) although it was still a fairly mediocre debut. This week, three new major releases are competing: Liam Neeson’s dark thriller A Walk Among the Tombstones; Shawn Levy’s family drama This is Where I Leave You and young adult fantasy The Maze Runner. Two of these ought to be smash hits but the fact that they’re clashing may be their undoing. Last week, we tipped the box-office in favour of The Maze Runner but let’s find out what really went on.

US:

1. The Maze Runner – Director: Wes Ball – $32.5 million
2. A Walk Among the Tombstones – Scott Frank – $12.8 million
3. This is Where I Leave You – Shawn Levy – $11.6 million
4. No Good Deed – Sam Miller – $9.8 million
5. Dolphin Tale 2 – Charles Martin Smith – $8.9 million

UK:

1. The Boxtrolls – Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi – £1.3 million
2. A Walk Among the Tombstones – Scott Frank – £1.3 milion
3. Pride – Matthew Warchus – £0.6 million
4. Lucy – Luc Besson – £0.6 million
5. The Riot Club – Lone Scherfig – £0.5 million

The Maze Runner’s victory has been lessened by this packed week of releases. As franchise starters go, this is an overall success. This is less than the blockbusting likes of The Hunger Games, Twilight or Divergent although far greater than the car crashes like The Mortal Instruments. A $30 million debut has secured a sequel so we ought to be seeing a lot of the series over the next few years. Liam Neeson’s resurgence as an action star began with Taken and The Grey and has since found greater financial takings with the increasingly generic likes of Taken 2 and Non-Stop. His attempt at darker material has only gained muted responses from both UK and America.

In the UK, The Boxtrolls’ British appeal is extending its run although I wouldn’t be surprised if this success eludes it in America. Pride in continuing to prove popular but ruling class drama The Riot Club seems to have slumped, despite the popularity of its younger stars. This week I’ve scored 3/10.

US:

1. The Equalizer – Antoine Fuqua
2. The Boxtrolls – Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi
3. The Maze Runner – Wes Ball
4. Say When – Lynn Shelton
5. A Walk Among the Tombstones – Scott Frank

UK:

1. The Equalizer – Antione Fuqua
2. The Boxtrolls – Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi
3. What We Did on Our Holiday – Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin
4. A Walk Among the Tombstones – Scott Frank
5. Pride – Matthew Warchus

Dylan O’Brien in The Maze Runner, this week’s US number one.

Isaac Hempstead Wright in The Boxtrolls, this week’s UK number one.