A decent September saw the UK-Ireland box office reduce its year-on-year deficit from -15% at the start of August 2024, to -10% by the end of September.
Although still down on last year at this stage, the four weeks in September 2024 brought in £60.1m, up 21% on the equivalent weeks of September 2023.
| Rank | Title | Distributor | September gross | Total gross | Release date |
| 1 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Warner Bros | £21.6m | £21.6m | 06/09/24 |
| 2 | Speak No Evil | Universal | £4.4m | £4.4m | 13/09/24 |
| 3 | Lee | Studiocanal | £3.1m | £3.1m | 13/09/24 |
| 4 | Prima Facie - NT Live 2022 (2024 re-issue) | National Theatre Live | £2.6m | £2.6m | 06/09/24 |
| 5 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Disney | £2.1m | £57.4m | 26/07/24 |
| 6 | It Ends With Us | Sony | £2.1m | £21.5m | 09/08/24 |
| 7 | Despicable Me 4 | Universal | £1.9m | £47.5m | 12/07/24 |
| 8 | The Substance | Mubi | £1.8m | £1.8m | 20/09/24 |
| 9 | Alien: Romulus | Disney | £1.7m | £13.3m | 16/08/24 |
| 10 | The Critic | Lionsgate | £1.4m | £1.4m | 13/09/24 |
Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice contributed over one third of this total, holding the number one spot across all four weeks with a £21.6m gross. It recorded the fifth-biggest opening of the year and fifth-biggest September opening of all time with £7.3m, and is currently the sixth highest-grossing release of the year.
Universal horror Speak No Evil held the number two spot for three weeks with a total of £4.3m to date. It is the fourth highest-grossing horror title of 2024, and director James Watkins’ second highest-grossing film behind 2012’s The Woman In Black (£21.3m).
Ellen Kuras’ Lee starring Kate Winslet was number three across September with £3.1m. The Sky Cinema film, released by Studiocanal, will shortly enter the top 10 highest-grossing UK films of the year (currently number 11).
Independent releases also contributed to the September score – most notably Mubi’s Cannes pickup The Substance starring Demi Moore, which broke into the top 10 for the month in eighth place with £1.8m.
While box office figures are still down on pre-pandemic levels, the September figures give cause for cautious optimism among distributors and exhibitors – especially with a Q4 slate that is arguably stronger than the summer releases.
There will be high hopes for Warner Bros’ Joker: Folie a Deux opening today, after the first film grossed £58.3m from a 2019 release, also in the first week of October. Sony’s own comic book franchise entry Venom: The Last Dance opens on October 24, with the first two titles making £20.2m and £18.1m.
Enduring affection for the marmalade-loving bear could see Studiocanal’s Paddington In Peru outstrip the £38m and £42.6m of the first two films; while Paramount’s Gladiator II will take over cinemas from November 15.
Both Universal’s Wicked from November 22 and Disney’s Moana 2 from November 29 will hope to bring music and joy to the dark winter months; while in December, Sony’s Kraven The Hunter (December 13), Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King (December 20), EFD’s Robbie Williams film Better Man (December 26) and Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (December 27) all have the potential to go well beyond £20m.
Several independently-produced festival hits with box office potential are also released by the studios in this period, including Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice (October 18) through Studiocanal; Pedro Almodóvar’s Golden Lion winner The Room Next Door (October 25) through Warner Bros; and Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora (November 1) through Universal.
Other independent titles with potential include Andrea Arnold’s Bird (November 8) through Mubi; and Alonso Ruizpalacious’ La Cocina (December 26) through Picturehouse Entertainment.
All data provided by Comscore
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