'Fast & Furious 7' holds UK box office lead for third week

UNIVERSAL

In the same weekend that it raced past $1bn worldwide, Fast & Furious 7 retained its lead at the UK box office with $4.5m (£3m).

Universal’s latest instalment has now amassed a superb $47.8m (£32m) after 17 days in play, and will likely become 2015’s biggest release by the end of this weekend at the latest when it overtakes Fifty Shades of Grey’s $52m (£34.8m).

Fast & Furious 7 is the second film this year to record a hat-trick of number one results, but will be prevented from making it four-in-a-row by the arrival of Disney’s Avengers: Age of Ultron this weekend.

DISNEY

Remaining in second for the third straight week was Disney’s Cinderella with a $1.6m (£1.08m) fourth weekend. It has now waltzed to $26m (£17.4m) and could still challenge Maleficent’s $30.5m (£20.4m) UK result.

FOX

Home crossed the £20m mark in its fifth weekend, becoming the highest grossing animated release of the year to date in the process.

Fox’s animation fell 42% on its way to $1.3m (£854,377) for a strong $30.2m (£20.2m) to date.

Also for Fox, Mr. X opened with $53,000 (£35,508) from its 34 sites, while The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has amassed $23m (£15.4m) after eight weeks in play.

EONE

The week’s highest new entry came in the form of eOne’s Child 44 which charted fourth with a solid, if unspectacular, $755,000 (£505,422) debut from its 444 sites.

It will hope to serve as counter-programming when Avengers hits screens this Thursday [April 23].

Also for eOne, The DUFF fell a respectable 33% (excluding previews) on its way to a $487,000 (£326,000) second weekend for $2.3m (£1.56m), while The Divergent Series: Insurgent reached $11.7m (£7.8m) after five weeks in play.

The Water Diviner and Suite Francaise have taken $1.8m (£1.21m) and $3.1m (£2.1m), respectively.

ENTERTAINMENT

This week’s top five was rounded off by Entertainment’s Woman in Gold, which held well with $549,000 (£367,764) for a ten-day tally of $2m (£1.31m).

PARAMOUNT

In its fourth weekend of release, Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water added $544,000 (£364,000) for $10.8m (£7.24m).

Also for Paramount, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 unsurprisingly dropped heavily on its soft opening, taking just $25,000 (£17,000) for a ten-day tally of $264,000 (£177,000).

LIONSGATE

Toronto 2014 closer A Little Chaos got off to a $494,000 (£330,373) start in the UK from its 426 sites through Lionsgate.

It will be looking to midweek audiences to help sustain its run, but faces audience competition from the likes of Woman in Gold.

WARNER BROS

For Warner Bros, John Wick shot to $462,000 (£309,000) on its second weekend for $1.8m (£1.18m) to date, while Get Hard has reached $7.1m (£4.8m) following a $421,000 (£282,000) fourth weekend.

The Salvation landed with a soft $57,000 (£38,000) from its 108 sites, as Rurouni Kenshin 3: The Legend Ends grossed $5,000 (£3,324) from eight sites on its UK bow.

SONY

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 recorded a second weekend of $432,000 (£288,975) for $1.6m (£1.07m) to date through Sony. The sequel will struggle to match even half of its predecessor’s $7.6m (£5.1m) result.

ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION

Crossing the £1m mark in its third weekend, Icon Film Distribution’s While We’re Young added $130,000 (£86,845) to climb to $1.6m (£1.06m) to date.

Also for Icon, The Last Five Years grossed $8,000 (£5,371) from its one-site release at London’s Empire Leicester Square.

CURZON FILM WORLD

Force Majeure posted a minimal drop on its way to a $126,000 (£84,552) second weekend through Curzon Film World, and the Cannes 2014 winner has now taken $347,000 (£232,257) in the UK.

Also for Curzon Film World, Home From Home: Chronicle of a Vision posted a UK debut of $3,600 (£2,387) from its four sites.

MUNRO FILMS

After setting the best opening for a documentary this year, Munro Films’ Cobain: Montage of Heck grossed a further $93,000 (£61,211) from its 69 sites, with two still to report, for $360,000 (£240,822).

The film held particularly well in London with just a 11% week-on-week drop, with the West End falling 27%.

METRODOME

Meta horror remake The Town That Dreaded Sundown scared up $46,000 (£30,784), including previews, from its 15 sites through Metrodome on its UK debut.

PICTUREHOUSE ENTERTAINMENT

Released in 40 sites through Picturehouse Entertainment, Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance recorded a UK bow of $45,000 (£30,336), including $4,000 (£2,700) in previews.

UPCOMING RELEASES

This week sees a saturation release for Disney’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (opens April 23), while eOne’s The Good Lie and Metrodome’s The Falling both receive wide releases.

Lionsgate’s Stonehearst Asylum, Curzon Film World’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence and StudioCanal’s The Emperor’s New Clothes are among the films receiving a limited release.