UK musical Greatest Days is taking on Warner Bros’ superhero title The Flash at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend as the two open in 603 and 670 locations, respectively.
Elysian Film Group is distributing Greatest Days, a jukebox musical using songs from boyband Take That, which follows a group of friends who reconnect 25 years later for the reunion concert of their teenage selves’ favourite band. It’s directed by Coky Giedroyc and adapted from the stage musical (The Band), with Aisling Bea leading the cast.
The Flash is opening marginally wider than Warner Bros’ last DC release Black Adam, which debuted in 664 sites last October while The Batman remains the record-holder with a 709-location release in March 2022. The films went on to make £5.6m and £13.5m, respectively, during their opening weekends.
Warner Bros will be hoping audiences aren’t deterred by recent controversies surrounding the film’s star, Ezra Miller. They play the titular superhero who travels back in time to prevent his mother’s death and ends up altering the present with severe consequences. Andy Muschietti directs a cast that includes Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon and Sasha Calle.
Fleabag comeback
Looking to reclaim its title as the highest-grossing event release is Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag which returns to cinemas once again for the National Theatre Live. The one-woman show first screened in cinemas back in 2019, opening with £2m and going on to make £4.4m across its four-month run. It was only recently beaten out by Prima Facie, another NT Live production starring Jodie Comer, which currently holds the crown on over £5m.
Trafalgar Releasing is opening two documentaries this weekend about former members of the South Korean boyband BTS. j-hope IN THE BOX and SUGA: Road To D-DAY are opening in 117 locations each from Saturday and follow musicians j-hope and SUGA respectively working on their solo albums. Trafalgar is also screening Berliner Philharmoniker Summer Concert 2023 into 54 locations.
Another live production comes from the Royal Opera House with Il Trovatore – ROH, London 2023 screening in 99 locations over the weekend. The opera, about a devastating curse that rises from the ashes, first opened on Tuesday (June 13).
BFI Distribution is opening Dionne Edwards’ debut Pretty Red Dress in 45 cinemas. A London Film Festival premiere, the film follows the effect a red dress has on a family in south London. It stars Natey Jones and Alexandra Burke.
Fellow London premiere Inland is releasing across 19 sites for Verve Pictures. Mark Rylance and Rory Alexander star in Fridtjof Ryder’s debut feature which takes on the form of a modern fairy tale about a fractured man still dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his mother.
Wildcard Distribution is opening Claire Dix’s Sunlight in 14 cinemas. The Irish filmmaker’s debut centres around a recovering addict caring for his terminally ill sponsor and premiered in Dublin last year.
Key holdovers include Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.
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