Box office is back! Thanks to trifecta of notable releases, the anticipation leading into this week did not disappoint. China’s Golden Week release THE BATTLE OF CHANGJIN, the international sensation NO TIME TO DIE and Domestic smash VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE finally sees the global box office firing on all cylinders.
In Europe, the arrival of the latest Bond NO TIME TO DIE pushed several markets past targets on Gower Street’s Blueprint to Recovery for the first time. The UK & Ireland sailed past the Stage 4 and 5 markers [see graphic below] despite only 6 days of the week having passed at point of writing. Stage 5 (equivalent to a top quartile play-week of 2018-2019) indicates that a market has made a full recovery. Data correct as of October 6 shows the latest weekly box office in the UK stands at £33.4 million for the October 1 play-week. That is already 13% ahead of the Stage 5 target (£29.4m) and 35% ahead of the Stage 4 target (£24.7m) with one more weekday to account for. NO TIME TO DIE (£29.8m) grossed 89% of the UK’s weekly box office. Germany also achieved stages 4 and 5 in one fell swoop. The Sep 29 play-week (€24.6 million) was 28% and 13% ahead of Stage 4 (€17.6m) and Stage 5 (€21.3m) respectively. Bond contributed to 72% of the weekly box office in the region as DUNE continues to play strongly. Elsewhere in Europe, two more markets reached milestones for the first time: the Stage 5 target was met by Austria and the Stage 4 target achieved in Portugal. In Netherlands, the Sept 29 play-week (€ 7.1m) hit the Stage 5 target once again.
The other Hollywood big hitter this weekend VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE also caused a ripple in Europe, pushing Russia past its Stage 5 target for the Sept 29 play-week, the first time since March 2020. Sony’s anti-hero sequel scored a pandemic-era best opening, 11% ahead of the original release. Meanwhile, China’s Golden Week hit THE BATTLE OF CHANGJIN ($204 million) had the second biggest opening weekend of all time in the region and pushed the box office past the Stage 5 target for the Oct 1 play-week. This is the 7th time in the last 52 weeks that China has achieved this feat, the most of any market.
Recovery progress across 30 global markets can be tracked each week in Gower Street’s State of the Market reports. Subscribe here.
