Kraven The Hunter c Sony

Source: Sony

‘Kraven The Hunter’

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Dec 13-15)Total gross to dateWeek
 1. Moana 2 (Disney) £3.6m £26.5m 3
 2. Wicked (Universal) £3.5m £43.6m 4
 3. Gladiator II (Paramount) £918,000 £28.5m 5
 4. Paddington In Peru (Studiocanal) £821,166 £30.2m 6
 5. Kraven The Hunter (Sony) £686,806 £686,806 1

GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.26

Kraven The Hunter had the lowest debut of any Sony-produced Marvel title at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend, while holdovers Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II stayed locked in at the top.

Disney’s Moana 2 clung on to the top spot for a third week in a row with £3.6m. The animated sequel has a total of £26.5m and is now the eighth highest-grossing title of 2024, ahead of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s £26.3m.

Following closely behind was Universal’s Wicked which dropped just 35% in its fourth weekend with £3.5m. The musical is up to £43.6m and is the fourth-highest-grossing title of 2024 after overtaking Dune: Part Two (£39.6m). Its next target will be fellow Universal title Despicable Me 4 on £48.1m.a

In third place was Gladiator II with a 43% dip in its fifth weekend for Paramount. The Paul Mescal-starring epic added £918,000 for a £28.5m cume. 

Paddington In Peru passed £30m in its seventh outing for Studiocanal after taking £821,166.

It was a disappointing start for Kraven The Hunter after the film debuted with £686,806. It is the lowest opening ever for any title from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) in the UK and Ireland. It was significantly behind Madame Web which debuted with £1.3m back in February for Sony. It also opened behind those from Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe including the £1.2m debut of Blue Beetle in 2023.

Kraven The Hunter stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the eponymous hunter whose fractured relationship with his father leads him down a path of vengeance. Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe also star in the feature directed by J. C Chandor.

Lord Of The Rings animation disappoints

It was another strong weekend for Edward Berger’s Conclave. The Black Bear title passed £4m after dropping 29% in its third session with £554,000.

Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim

Source: Warner Bros

Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim opened with just £483,584 for Warner Bros in another record-breaking low for a franchise.

The animated spin-off launched in 520 cinemas for a location average of £1,075. It is well behind its predecessors from the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy as well as The Hobbit films which all opened on at least £9m each. 

Brian Cox leads the English-language voice cast of The War Of The Rohirrim as Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, who must defend the ancient stronghold of Hornburg from the ruthless Dunlending lord.

Luca Guadagnino’s Queer opened on £192,000 for Mubi. The gay romance drama, starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, is up to £292,000 including previews.

In event cinema, Trafalgar Releasing screened Cinderella – ROH, London 2024 with £154,747 for a total of £674,557.

Park Circus had the Christmas classic Love Actually in cinemas again for its 20th anniversary, picking up £62,306 on its second weekend with a £686,404 cume.

Hugh Grant horror Heretic is closing in on £6m on its seventh session after adding £32,413.

Also on its seventh week of play, Sean Baker’s Anora made £31,150 and has a total of £1.8m.

All We Imagine As Light made £20,279 on its third weekend for BFI Distribution for a £234,510 cume.

Picturehouse Entertainment opened Timm Kröger’s The Universal Theory on £10,000. The black-and-white thriller, which first premiered in Venice in 2023, had made £20,000 including previews.