Prisoners locks in UK box office lead

Prisoners has retained the number one spot in the UK for the second consecutive week, becoming the first film since Monsters University to do so.

Posting a slim drop of just 17%, eOne’s drama scored a $1.8m (£1.1m) second weekend for a strong early $5.4m (£3.38m) after ten days in play.

Prisoners’ success bodes well for the upcoming awards season, with a clear audience appetite for adult-orientated fare.

Also for eOne, Insidious: Chapter 2 scared up an additional $616,000 (£383,491) for $10.7m (£6.66m) to date, while Justin and the Knights of Valour held well in its fourth weekend to add $613,000 (£381,180) for $3.9m (£2.46m).

How I Live Now was soft on its UK debut, grossing $369,000 (£229,744) from its 350 sites for director Kevin Macdonald’s lowest-ever UK opening for a fiction feature.

Faring better on debut was Metallica: Through the Never, released on 21 3D IMAX only sites for a $151,000 (£93,937) opening at a healthy $7,188 (£4,473) average.

LIONSGATE

Expanding to the rest of the UK and now playing in 380 sites, Lionsgate’s Filth charted second with $1.4m (£842,167).

Given its 18 certificate and edgy subject matter, a site average of $3,560 (£2,216) is impressive and positive word-of-mouth should see the black comedy play well during the week.

Filth currently stands at $2m (£1.27m).

ENTERTAINMENT

Sunshine on Leith got off to a solid start in the UK, singing its way to $1.2m (£770,239) to chart third.

Dexter Fletcher’s second directorial outing scored a bow much higher than that of his debut, Wild Bill, which managed $97,400 (£60,430) albeit from considerably less sites at 108.

WARNER BROS

Now playing in 212 sites, Warner Bros’ Blue Jasmine recorded a $1.2m (£723,000) second weekend as it fell to fourth.

Woody Allen’s latest enjoyed a healthy midweek performance, meaning it stands at $3.5m (£2.2m) and is well on its way to overtaking Midnight in Paris’ $4.5m (£2.8m) to become Allen’s best-ever UK performer.

Meanwhile, We’re the Millers and The Call stand at $13.3m (£8.3m) and $1.8m (£1.09m), respectively, after grossing $177,000 (£110,000) and $71,000 (£44,000) this weekend.

Rurouni Kenshin opened in eight sites through Warner Bros for a $8,000 (£5,000) debut.

STUDIOCANAL

Falling just 28% in its fourth weekend, Rush rounded off this week’s top five with $1.1m (£707,475).

StudioCanal’s biopic of the rivalry between F1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda has now raced to an excellent $12.7m (£7.9m) in the UK, with £10m an increasingly likely possibility.

FOX

With a respectable drop of 33% in its second weekend, Fox’s Runner Runner added $809,000 (£503,055) for a ten-day total of $2.9m (£1.8m).

UNIVERSAL

Falling 41% in its fifth weekend, Universal’s About Time grossed an additional $463,000 (£288,000) for $11.1m (£6.89m) to date.

There’s no stopping Despicable Me 2 which posted an 8% rise in its 15th week of release, taking $302,000 (£188,000) to stand at $74.8m (£46.52m).

Also for Universal, R.I.P.D. is up to $2.1m (£1.29m) following a $178,000 (£111,000) third weekend.

SONY

White House Down has now shot its way to $6.2m (£3.85m) in the UK, following a $456,000 (£284,000) fourth weekend through Sony.

Also for Sony, One Direction: This is Us added $196,000 (£122,000) for $12.5m (£7.8m) to date, while Elysium stands at $14.3m (£8.93m).

Sony released The To Do List in 84 sites, resulting in a $22,500 (£14,000) debut at a soft average of $268 (£167). It’s worth noting that most of its sites would likely have had only one showing a day.

DISNEY

Planes has now flown to $13.2m (£8.2m) in the UK through Disney after adding $294,000 (£183,181) this weekend.

Meanwhile, Monsters University will cross the £30m mark in the coming days and stands at $48.1m (£29.96m) following a $268,000 (£166,785) weekend.

ARTIFICIAL EYE

Now in its fifth week of release, The Great Beauty added a non-final $55,000 (£34,300) through Artificial Eye to stand at $1.1m (£674,531).

UPCOMING RELEASES

This week sees a saturation release for Entertainment’s Romeo and Juliet, while Fox’s Baggage Claim, eOne’s The Fifth Estate, Curzon Film World’s Le Week-end and Lionsgate’s Machete Kills all receive wide releases.

StudioCanal’s Haewon (Nobody’s Daughter) and Kaleidoscope’s Not Another Happy Ending are among the films receiving a limited release.