This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/oct/21/northern-soul-uk-box-office-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Northern Soul is a surprise top 10 hit at the UK box office as the Turtles roll in | Northern Soul is a surprise top 10 hit at the UK box office as the Turtles roll in |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The winner | The winner |
| Turned down by countless UK distributors and presented to cinema audiences without benefit of a UK film festival platform, British indie Northern Soul has astounded the film industry with a sensational result at the weekend. Landing inside the top 10, despite a release on just 83 screens, and limited showings at many of those venues, Northern Soul grossed a mighty impressive £279,000, according to official data gatherer Rentrak. | Turned down by countless UK distributors and presented to cinema audiences without benefit of a UK film festival platform, British indie Northern Soul has astounded the film industry with a sensational result at the weekend. Landing inside the top 10, despite a release on just 83 screens, and limited showings at many of those venues, Northern Soul grossed a mighty impressive £279,000, according to official data gatherer Rentrak. |
| The film is the feature debut of acclaimed photographer Elaine Constantine, who has long been connected to the Northern Soul scene. UK distributors were perhaps cautious as the film seemed late to the party: Shimmy Marcus’s SoulBoy, which benefited from more-recognisable lead actors Martin Compston, Felicity Jones and Nichola Burley, premiered in 2010, going on to gross £101,000 at UK cinemas over its lifetime. | The film is the feature debut of acclaimed photographer Elaine Constantine, who has long been connected to the Northern Soul scene. UK distributors were perhaps cautious as the film seemed late to the party: Shimmy Marcus’s SoulBoy, which benefited from more-recognisable lead actors Martin Compston, Felicity Jones and Nichola Burley, premiered in 2010, going on to gross £101,000 at UK cinemas over its lifetime. |
| Northern Soul was acquired for the UK by Universal Pictures, and it’s reasonable to assume the company was looking at it more for home-entertainment value, since it sub-distributed theatrically through Munro Film Services, and the DVD is already in shops. It may have been taken by surprise at the impressive number of theatrical bookings achieved by Munro, and by the weekend gross. | Northern Soul was acquired for the UK by Universal Pictures, and it’s reasonable to assume the company was looking at it more for home-entertainment value, since it sub-distributed theatrically through Munro Film Services, and the DVD is already in shops. It may have been taken by surprise at the impressive number of theatrical bookings achieved by Munro, and by the weekend gross. |
| Constantine said: “No one knew what to expect from this film. We had no star leads and a low budget.” She added that the appeal of the scene in the UK is perhaps underestimated, with more than 1 million people tuning in to watch a recent BBC2 TV documentary. And despite the very short window before DVD release, she always saw her film as a theatrical proposition, best enjoyed communally. “Northern Soul is not a passive audience. People travel across the whole country to experience an all-nighter. Going to the cinema does not present a challenge.” | Constantine said: “No one knew what to expect from this film. We had no star leads and a low budget.” She added that the appeal of the scene in the UK is perhaps underestimated, with more than 1 million people tuning in to watch a recent BBC2 TV documentary. And despite the very short window before DVD release, she always saw her film as a theatrical proposition, best enjoyed communally. “Northern Soul is not a passive audience. People travel across the whole country to experience an all-nighter. Going to the cinema does not present a challenge.” |
| With the film playing one-off shows at many venues and split screens (ie sharing with another film) at others, Northern Soul has achieved its impressive number from relatively limited play. Munro estimates the film had around 235 showings in total – from a maximum possible 996 slots (a potential four per day per venue, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Nottingham Broadway managed seven showings across the weekend, achieving about 97/98% seat occupancy. The Hull Reel achieved a similar result. The film scored particularly well in the Midlands, north-west, Yorkshire and London. Munro’s own weekend figure is in fact a slightly higher £286,000, so this will include some unconventional venues not tracked by Rentrak. | With the film playing one-off shows at many venues and split screens (ie sharing with another film) at others, Northern Soul has achieved its impressive number from relatively limited play. Munro estimates the film had around 235 showings in total – from a maximum possible 996 slots (a potential four per day per venue, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Nottingham Broadway managed seven showings across the weekend, achieving about 97/98% seat occupancy. The Hull Reel achieved a similar result. The film scored particularly well in the Midlands, north-west, Yorkshire and London. Munro’s own weekend figure is in fact a slightly higher £286,000, so this will include some unconventional venues not tracked by Rentrak. |
| Despite being now available on DVD, more than 30 cinemas are holding Northern Soul this coming weekend, with 40 fresh sites also booking the title. | Despite being now available on DVD, more than 30 cinemas are holding Northern Soul this coming weekend, with 40 fresh sites also booking the title. |
| The blockbuster | The blockbuster |
| Knocking Gone Girl off the top spot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted with an impressive £3.22m plus £1.56m in previews. If you include the previews, that’s the biggest opening for a film since The Inbetweeners 2 in early August. Back in 2007, the last iteration of the much-revived film franchise, TMNT, debuted with £949,000, including £284,000 previews. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a relatively clear run at the family audience, since The Maze Runner aims more at the teen market, and The Boxtrolls and What We Did on Our Holiday are in their sixth and fourth week of play respectively. | |
| The alternatives | The alternatives |
| The Best of Me, the ninth film to be adapted from a Nicholas Sparks book, achieved mid-table respectability with a so-so £488,000 debut, plus £149,000 in previews. That’s down on the last Sparks film, Safe Haven, which began in March last year with £812,000, including negligible previews of less than £5,000. Before that, The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron, started its run with £830,000 plus £329,000 in previews. | The Best of Me, the ninth film to be adapted from a Nicholas Sparks book, achieved mid-table respectability with a so-so £488,000 debut, plus £149,000 in previews. That’s down on the last Sparks film, Safe Haven, which began in March last year with £812,000, including negligible previews of less than £5,000. Before that, The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron, started its run with £830,000 plus £329,000 in previews. |
| Family drama The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr, was fairly weak, with £421,000 from 317 cinemas. The actor has achieved box-office success in the Avengers/Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes franchises, and his last drama was commercial disappointment The Soloist. Absent awards buzz for the film, and a lot of three-star reviews, it was always hard to envisage a big audience for The Judge, which opened the Toronto film festival last month. | Family drama The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr, was fairly weak, with £421,000 from 317 cinemas. The actor has achieved box-office success in the Avengers/Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes franchises, and his last drama was commercial disappointment The Soloist. Absent awards buzz for the film, and a lot of three-star reviews, it was always hard to envisage a big audience for The Judge, which opened the Toronto film festival last month. |
| The strong hold | The strong hold |
| Although yet to grace the top 10, Jack O’Connell starrer ’71 is quietly holding up, with a very impressive week-two performance. Dropping just 7% from its opening number, the film added another £192,000 at the weekend, and now stands at £576,000. StudioCanal was highly visible with print and online advertising last week, trumpeting strong critical endorsement. The distributor deserves credit for not giving up after a somewhat disappointing opening. | Although yet to grace the top 10, Jack O’Connell starrer ’71 is quietly holding up, with a very impressive week-two performance. Dropping just 7% from its opening number, the film added another £192,000 at the weekend, and now stands at £576,000. StudioCanal was highly visible with print and online advertising last week, trumpeting strong critical endorsement. The distributor deserves credit for not giving up after a somewhat disappointing opening. |
| Holds were in fact pretty strong across the market, with top five titles Gone Girl, Annabelle and The Maze Runner down respectively by 23%, 24% and 24%. Gone Girl now stands at £14.15m, and is speeding up the all-time rankings for 18-certificate films. Top 18-certificate title, The Wolf of Wall Street, stood at £14.96m at this stage of its run, but enjoyed a relatively long tail thanks to the sustaining effect of awards nominations. Gone Girl is only 6% off the Wolf pace, but may struggle to sustain momentum in the coming weeks. | Holds were in fact pretty strong across the market, with top five titles Gone Girl, Annabelle and The Maze Runner down respectively by 23%, 24% and 24%. Gone Girl now stands at £14.15m, and is speeding up the all-time rankings for 18-certificate films. Top 18-certificate title, The Wolf of Wall Street, stood at £14.96m at this stage of its run, but enjoyed a relatively long tail thanks to the sustaining effect of awards nominations. Gone Girl is only 6% off the Wolf pace, but may struggle to sustain momentum in the coming weeks. |
| The future | The future |
| Thanks to those strong holds plus the arrival of the turtles, overall the market is 16% up on the previous frame, and 19% up on the equivalent weekend from 2013, when Turbo and Captain Phillips arrived in the top two spots. This now extends to four weeks the run where box-office is up on the year-ago equivalents, giving encouragement to the whole sector after a disappointing first three quarters of the year. | Thanks to those strong holds plus the arrival of the turtles, overall the market is 16% up on the previous frame, and 19% up on the equivalent weekend from 2013, when Turbo and Captain Phillips arrived in the top two spots. This now extends to four weeks the run where box-office is up on the year-ago equivalents, giving encouragement to the whole sector after a disappointing first three quarters of the year. |
| The good news may continue, since there’s certainly a diverse range of major films arriving in cinemas this week. Fox has animation The Book of Life, from producer Guillermo del Toro. Sony has Brad Pitt in a WWII tank in Fury, which just closed the London film festival and is the current top cinema hit in the US. Then there is romantic drama Love, Rosie, adapted from a Cecelia Ahern novel; well-regarded horror The Babadook; a UK expansion of Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; a starry ensemble cast in comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You, adapted from the Jonathan Tropper novel; Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence together once more in period romantic melodrama Serena; and Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is By My Side. The audience should segment nicely, but it’s hard to imagine that so many films will all find a capacious welcome from cinemagoers. | The good news may continue, since there’s certainly a diverse range of major films arriving in cinemas this week. Fox has animation The Book of Life, from producer Guillermo del Toro. Sony has Brad Pitt in a WWII tank in Fury, which just closed the London film festival and is the current top cinema hit in the US. Then there is romantic drama Love, Rosie, adapted from a Cecelia Ahern novel; well-regarded horror The Babadook; a UK expansion of Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; a starry ensemble cast in comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You, adapted from the Jonathan Tropper novel; Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence together once more in period romantic melodrama Serena; and Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is By My Side. The audience should segment nicely, but it’s hard to imagine that so many films will all find a capacious welcome from cinemagoers. |
| Top 10 films 17-19 October | Top 10 films 17-19 October |
| 1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, £4,785,448 from 522 sites (New)2. Gone Girl, £2,361,051 from 555 sites. Total: £14,153,8793. Annabelle, £1,465,919 from 392 sites. Total: £4,585,0104. The Maze Runner, £1,458,300 from 498 sites. Total: £4,364,7485. The Best of Me, £636,842 from 360 sites (New)6. The Boxtrolls, £464,345 from 484 sites. Total: £7,374,6237. Dracula Untold, £438,037 from 357 sites. Total: £4,454,6488. The Equalizer, £429,406 from 297 sites. Total: £6,370,7689. The Judge, £420,720 from 317 sites (New)10. Northern Soul, £278,829 from 83 sites (New) | 1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, £4,785,448 from 522 sites (New)2. Gone Girl, £2,361,051 from 555 sites. Total: £14,153,8793. Annabelle, £1,465,919 from 392 sites. Total: £4,585,0104. The Maze Runner, £1,458,300 from 498 sites. Total: £4,364,7485. The Best of Me, £636,842 from 360 sites (New)6. The Boxtrolls, £464,345 from 484 sites. Total: £7,374,6237. Dracula Untold, £438,037 from 357 sites. Total: £4,454,6488. The Equalizer, £429,406 from 297 sites. Total: £6,370,7689. The Judge, £420,720 from 317 sites (New)10. Northern Soul, £278,829 from 83 sites (New) |
| Other openers | Other openers |
| Le Nozze Di Figaro: Met Opera, £247,958 from 154 sitesBjork: Biophilia Live, £6,821 from 2 sitesPalo Alto, £6,609 from 6 sitesCathedrals of Culture, £6,343 from 5 sitesVellimoonga, £5,730 from 14 sitesUnited We Fall, £2,004 from 24 sitesBlack Butler, £1,327 from 9 sitesThe Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands, £1,156 from 3 sites (+ £10,700 preview)Scopia, £418 from 1 siteMy Name Is Hmmm …, £254 from 1 siteJudas Ghost, £219 from 1 siteDementamania, £79 from 1 site | Le Nozze Di Figaro: Met Opera, £247,958 from 154 sitesBjork: Biophilia Live, £6,821 from 2 sitesPalo Alto, £6,609 from 6 sitesCathedrals of Culture, £6,343 from 5 sitesVellimoonga, £5,730 from 14 sitesUnited We Fall, £2,004 from 24 sitesBlack Butler, £1,327 from 9 sitesThe Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands, £1,156 from 3 sites (+ £10,700 preview)Scopia, £418 from 1 siteMy Name Is Hmmm …, £254 from 1 siteJudas Ghost, £219 from 1 siteDementamania, £79 from 1 site |
| Thanks to Rentrak | Thanks to Rentrak |
Previous version
1
Next version