As expected we have a new entry at the top, with X-Men: Days of Future Past straight into the number 1 spot with a big. The sequel to the prequel that’s actually a sequel to the original series and to the spin-offs (seriously) grossed an astonishing average of €9,399 at each of its 60 locations to take a whopping €573k for the weekend, and €695k for its four-day opening. The film opened equally strongly Stateside, where it had the fifth highest opening weekend for a May release at $90.8m. Reviews, including our own, and word-of-mouth are strong for the title so it should continue to do big business for the next few weeks.
Down from the top spot to number 2 is Gareth Edward’s modern take on the Godzilla legend, Godzilla. The film dropped 58%, mostly due to the presence of X-Men, but still managed an impressive €3,073 over its 63 locations, to take home a further €200k. That takes its total up to €992k, so the million has already been passed by the time you read this. The global box-office has been similarly monstrous, but Warner’s may need to wait until Edwards is finished with his new Star Wars spin-off duties before they can cash in with the sequel.
At 3, and still pulling in big crowds is Universal’s comedy Bad Neighbours. Now in its third/fourth week (because of that Saturday opening) the film fell 35% to gross €122k. In doing so it crossed the €1.5m mark at the Irish box-office. The film as done exceptionally well in making $184m worldwide, which is a huge return on its $18m budget. Bucking the increasing trend this one earned significantly more of its worldwide total in the States, with 63% coming from the domestic audience.
In at 4 is the second new entry of the weekend, Lionsgate’s 3D animated version of iconic children’s TV character Postman Pat. Continuing the record-breaking year for animated films Postman Pat earned a credible €95k from Irish audiences. The film really only appeals to the UK and Irish market, so it will be interesting to see how it fares in other locations.
The third and last of the new entries this weekend is the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore starring Blended, at 5. Continuing Sandler’s recent run the film underwhelmed once again at the box-office, with a weak €1,071 at 58 locations, for a total of €63k. Unless we see interest increase, or perhaps an increase in the quality of his output, this could be the last of Sandler’s films to open this widely. Critical reaction has been harsh and this may have impacted figures. The presence of a better received comedy in the shape of Bad Neighbours will also have had an impact.
2014 us a hallmark year for animation at the box office and Rio 2 continues its impressive run at 6. The film was up 16%, on the back of some bad weather last weekend, and managed another €46k. That moves the total figures out to €1.175m which proves the appeal of a family-friendly decently entertaining film.
At 7 and continuing to perform strongly is the Nick Cassavetes directed The Other Woman. The film has no passed the million mark with this weekend’s €36k taking it past the magic mark.
Down four places to 8 is Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The film dropped another 47% to €23k in the face of direct competition from X-Men: Days of Future Past and stands now at €1.735m. With those drops it will not see the €2m mark which the original reached with ease.
Dropping slightly, and offering an alternative to the big-action blockbusters, is StudioCanal’s The Two Faces of January at 9. The Viggo Mortensen starring Patricia Highsmith adaptation was good for €21k as older audiences sought it out. It also boasted a strong €1,179 per location average, meaning that it should pass €100k very soon. For a film of it’s type that will be a fine return.
Lastly, down one place to 10, is the 3D animated reimagining of Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan. The film made just €15k so we will bid it farewell this week.
Next weekend is a bumper one, with no less than 3 films vying with X-Men: Days of Future Past for the top spot. First out is Disney’s alternate take on the Sleeping Beauty legend, Maleficent, which sees Angelina Jolie play the titular evil-doer in a live-action fairytale. The pull of the Disney brand and Jolie’s name, along with the mass marketing, should see this perform well. Another big star with a film out next week is Tom Cruise, who headlines The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman’s sci-fi actioner Edge of Tomorrow. Reviews for this are rave (including ours) and audiences generally like a Tom Cruise action film so we’re predicting that this will be top of the pile next weekend. That said one of the break-out hits of recent times was Seth MacFarlane’s Ted, with earned almost €550m worldwide in 2012, and he’s got a new comedy out this week in the shape of western A Million Ways to Die in the West. If this does even half of what Ted did it will be up there with Bad Neighbours in the 2014 summer comedy box-office stakes. An all-star cast should help it on its way, with the likes of Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Liam Neeson starring alongside MacFarlane himself.
| Rank | Title |
| 1 | X-Men: Days Of Future Past |
| 2 | Godzilla |
| 3 | Bad Neighbours |
| 4 | Postman Pat |
| 5 | Blended |
| 6 | Rio 2 |
| 7 | Other Woman, The |
| 8 | Amazing Spider-Man 2, The |
| 9 | Two Faces Of January, The |
| 10 | Tarzan |
Source: Rentrak