A genre clash heads up the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as Universal romantic comedy Bros opens against Disney horror Barbarian.
Opening in 499 cinemas, Bros is directed by Nicholas Stoller, who co-wrote the script with lead actor Billy Eichner. Eichner stars alongside Luke Macfarlane in a story about two men with commitment problems who attempt a relationship.
Bros debuted as a Special Presentation at Toronto in September, going on to play festivals including Zurich, Hamburg and the BFI London Film Festival. It was released in the US and Canada on September 30, with its $4.8m opening weekend considered below projections.
Eichner responded to the North America opening performance on Twitter, saying that “straight people, especially in certain parts of the country just didn’t show up” for the film. He followed that with a tweet saying “Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see Bros tonight.” The film was up to $11.6m in the territory as of Wednesday, October 26.
The film is a feature writing debut for Eichner, who is known for his comedy game show Billy On The Street as well as voice credits in The Lion King remake and The Angry Birds Movie.
Stoller directed a rom-com hit in 2008 with Forgetting Sarah Marshall (UK-Ire opening: £2.1m; closed: £7.7m). His other credits include 2010’s Get Him To The Greek (£1.7m; £7.1m), 2012’s The Five-Year Engagement (£1.1m; £5m), 2014’s Bad Neighbours (£8.4m; £16m) and 2016’s Bad Neighbours 2 (£1.7m; £6.4m), and 2016’s Storks (£2.2m; £7.5m). He has also written extensively for film, on films such as Yes Man, Gulliver’s Travels, The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted and Zoolander 2.
Universal will hope the combination of Stoller’s track record, decent reviews and Eichner’s popularity will push Bros to a seven-figure opening.
That comes amid strong competition, including from Disney horror Barbarian in 424 locations. Written and directed by Zach Cregger, the film follows a woman staying at an Airbnb who discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.
With Halloween falling on Monday, this is the main weekend for distributors and exhibitors to maximise festive fear. Horror titles have performed well in recent weeks; most notably Paramount’s Smile, which became the first 18-rated title in over three years to top the UK-Ireland box office; a feat repeated just a week later by Halloween Ends.
A debut feature for Cregger, Barbarian premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in July, going on to play UK horror event FrightFest the following month. It stars Bill Skarsgard opposite Georgina Campbell, the UK actress who won a TV Bafta for 2014’s Murdered By My Boyfriend, and has credits including TV’s Black Mirror, Broadchurch and His Dark Materials, plus this year’s UK indie feature All My Friends Hate Me.
Further horror content comes in the shape of Lionsgate’s Prey For The Devil, in 465 locations. Previously titled The Devil’s Light – a name it still holds in many international territories – the film centres on a nun who prepares to perform an exorcism, and comes face-to-face with a demonic force with mysterious ties to her past.
It is a fourth feature for US director Daniel Stamm, who has genre experience through 2008’sA Necessary Death, 2010’s The Last Exorcism (opened: £1.1m; closed: £3.7m) and 2014’s 13 Sins.
Sadness sets sail
Curzon is releasing Ruben Ostlund’s 2022 Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness this weekend, with Lionsgate handling the theatrical bookings for the 126-site opening.
Swedish director Ostlund’s satirical comedy is set aboard a cruise for the super-rich, which sinks to leave survivors of different social standing trapped on an island.
The film has been on an extensive festival tour since its victorious Cannes debut, playing Sydney, Adelaide, New Horizons, Sarajevo (as the opening film), Toronto, Helsinki, Zurich, Fantastic Fest, Hamburg, Busan, the BFI London Film Festival and Rome among others.
It is in the awards conversation; not in the international feature category, with most of the dialogue in English, but for its script, directing and supporting performance from Filipina actress Dolly De Leon as a cleaner who subverts the social rules. The film also stars Harris Dickinson; and South African actress Charlbi Dean, who died aged just 32 in August.
The film is Ostlund’s sixth feature as director, and second to win the Palme d’Or, after 2017’s The Square (opened: £221,215; closed: £722,690). He broke out internationally with 2014’s Force Majeure (£87,398; £593,432). Curzon has guaranteed theatrical exclusivity on the film until at least December.
Netflix and Apple both have limited theatrical releases this weekend: the former for Enola Holmes 2 starring Millie Bobby Brown; and the latter for biographical documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues.
Warner Bros has a 453-site repertory release of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, for the 20th anniversary of the second film in the Harry Potter franchise. The re-release of the first film – The Philosopher’s Stone – opened to £965,008 from 426 locations last October, almost cracking the top five.
Chamber Of Secrets is the third-highest-grossing of eight original Potter films, having opened to £18.9m in November 2002, on its way to a £55m total.
Further new titles this weekend include UK music documentary Sound For The Future in four sites through Tull Stories; action title Medieval starring Michael Caine in 14 sites through Shear Entertainment; and stately home horror Hounded through Signature Entertainment.
Guerilla Films is conducting a day-and-date release for Hilma, a biopic of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint; while CMC Pictures has Xiaozhi Rao’s Chinese political thriller Home Coming in 15 sites.
Trafalgar Releasing is playing event cinema release Coldplay Music Of The Spheres in 430 sites on Saturday; while Park Circus has two further rep releases, of ParaNorman in 409 sites for its 10th anniversary, and The Thing in 299 cinemas for its 40th.
Key holdovers include Warner Bros’ DC Comics’ title Black Adam, which will look to hold top spot; and Disney’s Searchlight Pictures awards contender The Banshees Of Inisherin.
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