Warner Bros.’ “Challengers,” led by Zendaya, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
In its third weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” dropped to second place with £1.4 million for a total of £8.9 million. In third position, in its fifth weekend, Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” collected £948,033 for a total of £19.7 million.
Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Civil War” placed fourth with £755,426 for a total of £5.1 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” with £597,587 in its fifth weekend for a total of £13.7 million.
The other debut in the top 10 was Anime Ltd’s “Spy x Family Code: White,” which debuted in eighth place with £280,729.
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Coming up, there are two releases on May 2 ahead of the long bank holiday weekend in the territory. Universal is opening “The Fall Guy,” starring Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling, Hannah Waddingham and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, across more than 300 locations. And Trafalgar Releasing is bowing “Macbeth,” starring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, which was filmed live in London.
There are several releases on Friday. Lionsgate is opening Rose Glass’ Kristen Stewart-starring Berlinale title “Love Lies Bleeding,” where gym manager Lou falls for Jackie, a bodybuilder who is passing through town en route to a competition in Las Vegas.
MetFilm Distribution is releasing “The Idea of You,” which centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. Modern Films is opening “Nezouh,” the drama with the Syrian war backdrop that won two awards at Venice in 2022.
In the kids space, Kaleidoscope Entertainment is opening “Lassie: A New Adventure,” in which the titular dog and friend Flo find themselves in the middle of a new mystery – all of the pedigree dogs in the idyllic village of South Tyrol are disappearing. And Miracle/Dazzler is debuting animation “Super Wings the Movie: Maximum Speed,” where Sky, the fastest aircraft in the world, is defending the earth.
There are two documentaries on mortality releasing this weekend. Cosmic Cat is debuting IDFA-winning “Much Ado about Dying,” where, looking after his madcap gay actor uncle, filmmaker Simon is engulfed in a whirl of Shakespeare and clutter as uncle David lends his credit card to neighbors, greets visitors in the nude and teaches Simon a profound lesson on dying happy. In Bulldog Film Distribution’s Raindance-winning “Red Herring,” faced with a terminal diagnosis, a filmmaker enlists his family on a darkly humorous journey to help them come to terms with his illness.
In Sony’s horror “Tarot,” when a group of friends violates the sacred rule of tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unleash evil trapped within the cursed cards. New Wave is opening Cannes-debuting and Sarajevo winning “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” where a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia who cherishes her freedom finds herself unexpectedly falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence.
Disney is re-releasing “Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace” on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
