Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” made a splash in its debut weekend, earning £17.3 million ($22.2 million) at the U.K. and Ireland box office, according to numbers from Comscore.
The superhero team-up film easily claimed the top spot and became the highest opener of the year in the territory, outpacing its nearest competitor by a wide margin. Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” held strong in its third week, adding £3.1 million in second spot for a cumulative total of £25.3 million. Warner Bros.’ “Twisters” maintained its position at No. 3, pulling in £1.5 million in its second week for a £7.9 million total.
Disney’s “Inside Out 2,” the previous highest opener of the year, continued its steady performance in its seventh week, crossing the £50 million mark with a £1.1 million weekend in fourth place.
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Rounding out the top five, “Longlegs” added £724,320 in its third week for a total of £5.6 million. Further down the chart, Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One” held on at number six with £168,232 and a total of £9.5 million. Tamil-language film “Raayan” from Big Films Limited, directed by and starring Dhanush, debuted at No. 7 with £149,511.
The lower ranks saw modest performances from Moviegoers Entertainment’s “Bad Newz” and Park Circus’ “I Saw The TV Glow,” each hovering around £59,000. Sony’s “Fly Me To The Moon” closed out the Top 10 with a £41,401 weekend take in its third week of release for a total of £1.6 million.
Looking ahead, the U.K. and Ireland box office is set for an eclectic mix of new releases in the coming week.
Sony’s “Harold and the Purple Crayon” adaptation, based on the 1955 children’s book of the same title by Crockett Johnson, hits screens on Wednesday, July 31.
Friday, Aug. 2, brings a diverse slate of films. “Blackpink World Tour (Born Pink) in Cinemas” arrives from Trafalgar Releasing for K-pop fans. Animation takes center stage with “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” featuring voice work from Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins and Ken Watanabe. The film is set for a wide release in over 300 locations. Universal is opening “Dìdi,” which won two awards at Sundance earlier this year.
Nostalgia plays a role with re-releases of Sony’s “Spider-Man” and Warner Bros.’ “The Neverending Story,” celebrating its 40th anniversary, while art house enthusiasts can look forward to the 4K reissue of Bela Tarr’s “Werckmeister Harmonies” from Curzon. And, after the smash hit London stage version, Elysian Film Group Distribution brings Studio Ghibli’s beloved “My Neighbour Totoro” back to cinemas, while TAPE Collective presents a 4K restoration of 1994 comedy drama “Alma’s Rainbow.”
For Bollywood fans, Bakrania Media is releasing both romance “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha,” starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu, and espionage drama “Ulajh,” headlined by Janhvi Kapoor. Yash Raj Films is bowing Malayalam-language found-footage thriller”Footage,” starring Manju Warrier. Also from India, DJ Tech Ltd is handling the releases of Malayalam-language drama “Adios Amigo,” starring Suraj Venjaramoodu, Soubin Shahir and Asif Ali and Tamil-language period survival thriller “Boat,” featuring Yogi Babu.
Tribeca-playing documentary “A Story of Bones,” distributed by Tull Stories, and Trinity’s Chinese thriller “A Place Called Silence” are also releasing this busy weekend.
