Ethan Coen’s action-comedy Drive-Away Dolls leads a quiet weekend at the UK and Ireland box office, opening in 533 cinemas for Universal, as Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two continues to dominate with over £20m taken after two weeks on release.
The first solo narrative feature from one half of the Coen Brothers follows two lesbian roommates whose road trip quickly escalates to a crime caper when they find a valuable suitcase in the trunk. A notable ensemble cast, led by Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, features appearances from Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon.
The last time Ethan Coen ventured cinemas was in 2018 with brother Joel onThe Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, a Netflix title which received an awards-qualifying theatrical run via Curzon - in the midst of controversy from UK and Ireland independent cinemas who called on the streamer to widen its theatrical release strategy. Before that, it was Hail, Caesar! in 2016 which opened second on £1.5m, also for Universal. Their biggest box office title to date is 2010 Western True Grit which ended on £8.5m.
International line-up
Next up is Indian action thriller Yodha which opens in 158 cinemas for Moviegoers Entertainment. Directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, both of whom have credits on Indian box office record-breaker Pathaan, the film follows an off-duty soldier who springs to action when terrorists hijack the plane he’s on.
Picturehouse Entertainment is releasing Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Monster in 89 locations this weekend. The Japanese drama first premiered at Cannes 2023, where Yûji Sakamoto picked up best screenplay, and follows a mother who becomes increasingly concerned by her son’s strange behaviour.
Other openers include the Cate Blanchett-starrer The New Boy for Signature Entertainment which plays in 62 cinemas. Blanchett stars as a nun in Warwick Thornton’s Australian-set drama about an orphan boy who turns up at her monastery in the middle of the night. The film first premiered at Cannes last year in Un Certain Reagrd.
Fellow Cannes 2023 premiere Banel & Adama is also opening this weekend in 26 venues for We Are Parable. Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s debut feature follows a young Senegalese couple whose love defies the disapproval of their remote village.
Trinity Film and Cine Asia have Hong Kong title The Lyricist Wannabe in 27 venues. Written and directed by Norris Wong, the film centres around a young woman obsessed with Cantopop.
CPH:DOX 2023 title Phantom Parrot is in select cinemas for Brass Hill Media. The documentary explores the uncovering of a top-secret British surveillance programme.
Park Circus is re-releasing David Fincher’s 1999 classic Fight Club while Cosmic Cat has Glasgow closer Janey, a documentary about comedian Janey Godley and her battle with cancer.
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