Weekend box-office – 2nd to 8th of August 2014 – can Lucy outsmart Hercules’ brawn?

It’s hugely ironic that this week we face a battle between a film whose concept revolves around maximising brain power and the tale of the strongest man in mythology. Lucy is the new thriller from Leon’s Luc Besson and stars Scarlett Johansson and it faces off with Hercules, the latest mythical team up of Dwayne Johnson and Brett Ratner. While neither films garnered great critical praise, it’ll be an intriguing race this week between the premise of brains or brawn. Last week, we predicted that Hercules would be victorious but let’s find out what really went down.

US:

1. Lucy – Director: Luc Besson – $43.9 million
2. Hercules – Brett Ratner – $29.8 million
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – $16.8 million
4. The Purge: Anarchy – James DeMonaco – $10.5 million
5. Planes: Fire and Rescue – Roberts Gannaway – $9.5 million

UK:

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – £3.8 million
2. Hercules – Brett Ratner – £1.5 million
3. The Purge: Anarchy – James DeMonaco – £1.2 million
4. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois – £1 million
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay – £0.8 million

Johansson’s sci-fi has shocked us all with its triumph and if it continues this form internationally it could be one of the summer’s surprise hits. Not only does this prove to Marvel that The Winter Soldier star could easily carry her own Black Widow spin off but renews the integrity of Luc Besson who hasn’t had a major hit since The Fifth Element nearly twenty years ago. Hercules’ takings meanwhile are thoroughly disappointing. We know they’re similar to Edge of Tomorrow which eventually covered its costs with $360 million worldwide but Doug Liman’s flick had the immense advantage of excellent word of mouth, a space which Guardians of the Galaxy will completely consume. The Rock’s labours faired no better in the UK getting a battering from the second week of release of Dawn of the Apes. This week I scored 5/10.

US:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn
2. Lucy – Luc Besson
3. Get On Up – Tate Taylor
4. Hercules – Brett Ratner
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves

UK:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves
3. Hercules – Brett Ratner
4. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis
5. The Purge: Anarchy – James DeMonaco

Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, this week’s US number one.

Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 4th to 11th of January 2014 – will Ride Along and Wolf of Wall Street have That Awkward Moment?

Two films have have dominated the box office recently and their wrath as continued today. New entries such as Jack Ryan, I Frankenstein and That Awkward Moment haven’t been able to knock off The Wolf of Wall Street and Ride Along for a third week running, despite my predictions from last week.

US

1. Ride Along – Director: Tim Story – $12 million
2. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – $8.9 million
3. That Awkward Moment – Tom Gormican – $8.7 million
4. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis – $7.3 million
5. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg – $7.1 million

UK

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese – £2.7 million
2. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen – £1.4 million
3. That Awkward Moment – Tom Gormican – £1 million
4. I, Frankenstein – Stuart Beattie – £0.8 million
5. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – £0.8 million

New comedy That Awkward Moment has had a vastly disappointing start, making just two thirds of its $12 million budget, even though its only rivals were films that were kicking around in box-office for weeks, nearly two months in Frozen’s case. Jason Reitman’s Labor Day didn’t make a major impact either, entering seventh place with $7 million. Lone Survivor dropped three places but, seeing as it’s already made a brilliant $114 million, the studios won’t be fussed at this point. Sadly, these surprisingly low new entries mean that this week’s total is 2/10 taking my running score to 70/140.

US

1. The LEGO Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
2. The Monument’s Men – George Clooney
3. Ride Along – Tim Story
4. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
5. That Awkward Moment – Tom Gormican

UK

1. RoboCop – Jose Padhila
2. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese
3. Mr Peabody and Sherman – Rob Minkoff
4. Dallas Buyers Club – Jean Marc Vallee
5. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen

Leonardo Di Caprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, this week’s UK box-office number one.

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in Ride Along, this week’s US box-office number one.

Weekend box-office – 28th of January to 3rd February 2014 – Can I, Frankenstein cause a scare for Ride Along?

It’s fair to say that Stuart Beattie’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel and Jevin Grevioux’s comic book has received an appalling reception from all. However, the film, which stars Aaron Eckhart, Miranda Otto and Bill Nighy, could have redeemed itself with a box office surpassing its $65 million budget but, to do that, I’d have to reach around the top three. Last week, we predicted it’d come first but what really counts is the results themselves. Find out how I, Frankenstein did at the box-office:

US:

1. Ride Along – Director:  Tim Story – $21.2 million
2. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg – $12.6 million
3. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis – $12.3 million
4. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – $9 million
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh – $8.8 million

UK:

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese – £3.6 million
2. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen – £2.3 million
3. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh – £1.3 million
4. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – £1.1 million
5. American Hustle – David O’Russell – £1 million

Yep, Frankenstein hasn’t scratched the Top 5 with a dismal $8.3 million opening. The Wolf of Wall Street seems to be a huge hit in the UK, despite some of the gross-out features – take note of it thrashing Oscar favourite 12 Years for a second week running. Jack Ryan’s UK opening was less than stellar and it isn’t really hanging on at all in the US. Sadly, last weeks predictions were terrible, scoring me 1/5 in both US and UK and taking my running total to 68/130. Here’s my predictions for next week:

US:

1. That Awkward Moment – Tom Gormican
2. Ride Along – Tim Story
3. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg
4. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis
5. Labor Day – Jason Reitman

UK:

1. That Awkward Moment – Tom Gormican
2. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese
3. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen
4. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh
5. I, Frankenstein – Stuart Beattie

Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street, this week’s UK box-office number one.

Kevin Hart in Ride Along, this week’s US box-office number one.

Weekend box-office – 20th to 27th of January 2014 – will Ride Along speed past Jack Ryan?

Lots of bug budget, action movies aim their releases for Oscar season, hoping to bring in the mainstream market who don’t won’t to see the year’s more critically appealing hits, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle or 12 Years a Slave. This year’s January/February action hopefuls included The Legend of Hercules, a huge flop which doesn’t bode well for the upcoming I Frankenstein, RoboCop and this week’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Ride Along. Last week’s predictions aren’t as accurate as we’d hoped, however.

US

1. Ride Along – Director: Tim Story – $41.2 million
2. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg – $23.2 million
3. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis – $20.6 million
4. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh – $17.2 million
5. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – $12 million

UK

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese – £4.7 million
2. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen – £3.1 million
3. American Hustle – David O’Russell – £1.5 million
4. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – £1.2 million
5. Devil’s Due – Matt Bettinelli-Oplin, Tyler Gillet – £1 million

Well, Ride Along and The Nut Job’s takings from this week have led to the confirmation of sequels for the both of them. Jack Ryan has a different story however. It’s low takings aren’t as shocking as say The Legend of Hercules but fans and studios alike would’ve hoped for better. The film may yet make back its $60 million budget but a sequel may be out of reach. Comparatively, Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street has been a huge success in the UK, topping the chart despite the 18 certificate and multiple controversial topics. A 4/10 this week takes the running total to 64/120.

US

1. I, Frankenstein – Stuart Beattie
2. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis
3. Ride Along – Tim Story
4. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh

UK

1. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh
2. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese
3. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen
4. August: Osage County – John Wells
5. American Hustle – David O’Russell

Leonardo Di Caprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, this week’s UK box-office number one.

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in Ride Along, this week’s US box-office number one.

Weekend box office – 12th to 19th of January 2014 – will 12 Years be the Lone Survivor or will it get (American) Hustled?

Oscar season is in full swing and that’s had an effect on the box office. Some of the blockbuster action movies try to launch this time of year, hoping to lure the more mainstream watchers to the cinema, but they usually get swamped. New star lacking but $70 million adventure Hercules: The Legend Begins is no different with Oscar tipped 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle plus harrowing action film Lone Survivor dominating.

US

1. Lone Survivor – Director: Peter Berg – $37.8 million
2. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – $14.7 million
3. The Legend of Hercules – Renny Harlin – $8.9 million
4. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese – $8.8 million
5. American Hustle – David O’Russell – $8.3 million

UK

1. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen – £2.5 million
2. American Hustle – David O’Russell – £1.9 million
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Peter Jackson – £1.5 million
4. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – £1.3 million
5. Last Vegas – Jon Turteltaub – £1.3 million

A disappointing 2/5 in both US and UK takes my running total to 60/110. Delivery Man made a very underwhelming seventh place entry in the UK while brand new The Railway Man debuted at sixth. The Hobbit 2 has definitely proved it’s got more legs, and perhaps more of a fanbase, in the UK than in the US as it’s stayed at three while, in America, it sank to sixth.

US

1. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh
2. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg
3. The Nut Job – Peter Lepeniotis
4. Ride Along – Tim Story
5. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese

UK

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese
2. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Peter Jackson
4. American Hustle – David O’Russell
5. Frozen – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

The UK seems to be a bit more award season giddy than the US at the moment so I bet Scorsese’s star studded Wolf of Wall Street will enter at the top. Branagh’s new Jack Ryan should hopefully prove to be a better success than the flop of Hercules.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, this week’s UK box office number one.

Taylor Kitsch, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch in Lone Survivor, this week’s US box office number one.