Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things starts its run in 585 cinemas this weekend at the UK-Ireland box office – a wide opening for an 18-rated title.
The eighth feature from Greek director Lanthimos is his first 18-rated title since 2009’s Dogtooth, which opened to £26,149 from 16 sites and took a strong £189,815 in total.
Since that film, Lanthimos’ box office horizons have expanded significantly – first with 2015’s The Lobster (opened: £229,946; closed: £1.5m), then especially with The Favourite his most recent film before Poor Things.
That film took a similar early January release slot in 2019, opening to almost £4m from 538 cinemas at a £7,380 average; and ending on an excellent £17m. It was a key player in that year’s awards season, with 10 wins from 13 nominations at the Bifas; seven from 12 at the Baftas; and one Oscar win from 10 nominations, for Olivia Colman’s performance.
Poor Things has also attracted awards attention ever since winning the Golden Lion on debut at Venice Film Festival in September. Its recognition has focused on The Favourite writer Tony McNamara’s adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel; Lanthimos’ direction; and especially Emma Stone’s performance as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist. Willem Dafoe as the scientist and Mark Ruffalo as Bella’s lover have also gained acclaim in supporting performance categories.
Although an 18 rating puts restrictions on box office takings, it is still possible to make healthy sums at such a level. The Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy is the key example of this, with the films grossing £35.1m, £23.2m and £17.8m over the last decade; other 18-rated hits in recent years include 2017’s T2: Trainspotting (£17.1m) and 2023’s Evil Dead Rise (£5.5m).
Stone is a major box office draw, and should bring audiences from commercial fare to this more adventurous role. Her previous hits include 2016’s La La Land (£30.5m), 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man (£26m) and 2021’s Cruella (£9.5m).
To bee or not to bee
Action stalwart Jason Statham returns to 480 UK-Ireland cinemas across the first week of Sky Cinema’s The Beekeeper, released theatrically by Studiocanal.
Statham stars as Adam Clay, a man on a brutal campaign for vengeance after he is revealed to be a former operative of a clandestine organisation known as the Beekeepers.
The UK actor is capable of drawing in audiences through his name alone. 2018 shark thriller The Meg made £15.9m, with sequel Meg 2: The Trench scoring £9.8m last year.
His prolific output – this is his fifth key role in an action film in the last 12 months - means not every title will be a hit. 2023’s Expend4bles made a disappointing £1.7m, while Fast X fell below the levels of previous Fast And Furious franchise titles, albeit still with £15.7m.
The film is directed by David Ayer, the US filmmaker who scored a hit in 2016 with Suicide Squad (opened: £11.3m; closed: £33.6m).
George Clooney’s The Boys In The Boat starts its race in 427 cinemas for Warner Bros. Adapted by Mark L. Smith from Daniel James’ Brown’s book, the film tells the story of the University of Washington rowing team in the 1930s, who rise from impoverished Depression-era backgrounds to compete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
UK actor Callum Turner – a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2014 – leads the cast, which also includes Joel Edgerton.
It is Clooney’s ninth feature as director; his highest-grossing title is 2014 historical comedy The Monuments Men, with £6.3m.
In limited releases, Dogwoof is playing Nicole Newnham’s documentary The Disappearance Of Shere Hite in 7 sites; while Miracle/Dazzler has fantasy adventure Freaks Vs The Reich in four sites in the Republic of Ireland only.
Warner Bros’ Wonka has topped the charts for five consecutive weekends and will be favourite to see a sixth; Poor Things’ distinct audience gives it the best chance of taking the crown. Other holdovers of note include Sony’s Anyone But You and Elysian Film Distribution’s The Boy And The Heron, both of which increased their takings on their second weekends.
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