Weekend box-office – 7th to 13th of March 2015 – is Fifty Shades going to lose Focus?

Controversially graphic romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey has had an undisputed reign on the past couple of box-office results but now it faces its first serious challenge in the form of hustling thriller Focus, starring rising star Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Will Smith (I am Legend, Hancock). The latter will be hoping for greater things following the commercial and critical bomb After Earth. Last week, we predicted that Focus would win but we’ll soon find out. Meanwhile, the ensemble of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy lead the sequel to smash hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which is hoping for big things in the UK.

US:

1. Focus – Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – $18.7 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $11.9 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $10.8 million
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – $10.6 million
5. The Lazarus Effect – David Gelb – $10.2 million

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden – £3.8 million
2. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £2.2 million
3. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – £1.9 million
4. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £1.2 million
5. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £1 million

While nabbing the number one spot, it’s a slightly underwhelming debut for Focus in a generally slow moving week. The only other new entry is Evan Peters horror The Lazarus Effect. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, should it follow the pattern of the first, may well begin to rise in takings next week. This week, we’ve scored a poor 1/10.

US:

1. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
2. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp
3. Unfinished Business – Ken Scott
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden
2. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp
3. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
4. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
5. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams

Will Smith and Margot Robbie in Focus, this week’s US number one.

Judi Dench in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 21st to 27th of February 2015 – will Fifty Shades whip up a storm?

The novel sensation Fifty Shades of Grey has been rushed into production as a new motion picture which is set to transfer its behemoth popularity into box office success. The controversially graphic romantic drama depicting the antics of an obsessive billionaire and a vulnerable journalist is quickly garnering a critic proof reputation that propelled The Da Vinci Code to stellar financial takings. Last week, we predicted it’d win but challenging it are spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service, animation SpongeBob, Oscar favourite American Sniper and the sci-fi action Jupiter Ascending.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Director: Sam Taylor Johnson – $85.2 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $36.2 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $31.5 million
4. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood – $16.4 million
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – $9.3 million

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £13.6 million
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £1.8 million
3. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £1.7 million
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – £1.6 million
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – £0.8 million

Fifty Shades has remarkably storm to success. These results may spell the apocalypse of cinematic integrity but it’s rare to see an 18 certificate film with a female director (Nowhere Boy’s Sam Taylor Johnson) and writers (author EL James and Saving Mr Banks’ Kelly Marcel). In the UK it triumphed with an opening weekend to rival last year’s top hits The Inbetweeners 2 and Transformers: Age of Extinction but we can expect Avengers 2 and Star Wars 7 to smash that record later in the year. The ultraviolent The Secret Service an impressive second place. I’ve scored 8/10 this week.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 – Steve Pink
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
4. SpongeBob The Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt
5. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. The Wedding Ringer – Jeremy Garelick
3. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
4. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn

Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades of Grey, this week’s US and UK number one.