Thriller Five Nights At Freddy’s heads the new titles at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, as one of a selection of genre choices available to audiences on the pre-Halloween weekend.
Opening in 609 cinemas through Universal, Five Nights At Freddy’s is adapted from Scott Cawthon’s videogame franchise of the same name. The film stars Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson as a security guard at an abandoned entertainment venue, who discovers that its animatronic mascots move and kill anyone still there after midnight.
Directed by Emma Tammi, the film is produced by horror impresario Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions. It was previously in development at Warner Bros from 2015; before Blumhouse picked it up in 2017. Chris Columbus was attached to the film, before Tammi replaced him in October 2022.
It is a second feature for US filmmaker Tammi, who also started out in horror with The Wind, which played at festivals including Toronto, Sitges, Fantastic Fest and Rotterdam in 2018-19.
Horror and thriller titles will be looking to make the most of the final pre-Halloween weekend, with the day itself falling next Tuesday, October 31. Miracle and Hammer are collaborating on a 67-site release of Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll, a modern reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Eddie Izzard stars in the title role.
The novella is one of the most-adapted texts in history, with over 120 screen versions to date – many of them in the first days of cinema in the early 20th century. Subsequent versions include John S. Robertson’s 1920 silent film starring John Barrymore; Rouben Mamoulian’s 1931 version, for which Fredric March jointly won the Oscar for best actor for the two title roles; and a 1941 remake starring screen icons Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner.
Vertigo Releasing is putting Joe Lynch’s independent US title Suitable Flesh in 16 cinemas. Adapted by Dennis Paoli from an H.P. Lovecraft story, the film follows a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her patients, who she later discovers is linked to an ancient curse.
Heather Graham and Judah Lewis star in the film with horror icon Barbara Crampton, who also produces.
There is room for family-friendly Halloween titles too; Miracle is collaborating with Dazzler on a 141-site release of Russian animation How To Save The Immortal, about a sorcerer who has been unable to find a bride for 300 years.
Halloween dominates the holdovers too, with genre titles having started rolling out from as far back as late September. Universal has David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer, Lionsgate has Saw X and Warner Bros has The Nun II; while of a calmer tone, Signature Entertainment’s The Canterville Ghost goes on, as does Disney’s A Haunting In Venice.
Cat flexes claws
Bridging both genre and festival worlds is Susanna Fogel’s Cat Person, opening in 177 cinemas through Studiocanal.
The film is an adaptation by Michelle Ashford of Kristen Roupenian’s 2017 short story of the same name. The film’s plot depicts the brief relationship of a 20-year-old college student with a man 14 years her senior; and the fallout when they are no longer together.
Cat Person premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January; it stars CODA actress Emilia Jones opposite Nicholas Braun – Succession’s Cousin Greg. It is a third feature for US filmmaker Fogel, after 2014’s Life Partners and 2018’s The Spy Who Dumped Me starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon (£2.3m total gross).
Studiocanal is also opening Nimrod Antal’s crime drama Retribution in 44 cinemas. The film is the latest vehicle for action star Liam Neeson, as a bank executive who receives a bomb threat while driving his children to school. Neeson plus action has been a winning formula at the box office, most notably in the Taken franchise (Taken 2: £23.5m; Taken 3: £17.8m; Taken: £6.4m).
Modern Films is opening Typist Artist Pirate King, the latest film from UK director Carol Morley, in 32 sites. Launched in the Critics’ Picks strand at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival last year, Typist is a fictionalised portrait of the life and art of British artist Audrey Amiss. Monica Dolan stars, alongside Kelly Macdonald and Gina McKee. It is a fifth feature for Morley, whose second film Dreams of a Life (£179,125) was Bifa-nominated, and who helped start the career of Florence Pugh in third film The Falling (£413,917).
Beyond Utopia, a contender in documentary categories this awards season, debuts in cinemas through Dogwoof. Madeleine Gavin’s film, which premiered at Sundance this year, tells the stories of several families as they attempt to escape oppression in North Korea, risking their lives to do so.
Curzon has Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s drama 20,000 Species Of Bees in 30 cinemas. Sofia Otero won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance when the film debuted in competition in Berlin this February. Further non-English language titles include Zee Studios’ Indian drama 12th Fail, based on Anurag Pathak’s novel of the same name; and Magnetes Pictures’ Polish-language historical drama Little Rose 2 in 107 sites.
Tull Stories is opening Mikey Corker’s documentary Savage Waters, about a 19th -century treasure hunter’s journal inspiring modern adventurers, in 19 cinemas across its first week, adding a further 28 on its second.
Sheila Hayman’s documentary Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn will start in one cinema this weekend through Dartmouth Films, before expanding to 21 sites including Picturehouse venues from next week.
Netflix, which does not share location numbers, is starting David Fincher’s The Killer starring Michael Fassbender, following a world debut at Venice Film Festival in September.
In repertory cinema, Park Circus is starting Tim Burton’s 1988 fantasy comedy Beetlejuice in 350 sites across its first week. The film took £3.6m on its original release.
Non-horror holdovers include Universal’s number one Trolls Band Together, Trafalgar Releasing’s event cinema record-setter Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers Of The Flower Moon.
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