'Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway'

Source: Sony

‘Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway’

Rank Film  (Distributor) Three-day gross (May 21-23) Total gross to date Week
1 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Sony) £3.8m £4.6m 1
Nomadland (Disney) £496,375 £874,784 1
3 Godzilla Vs. Kong (Warner Bros) TBC £1.2m 1
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (Lionsgate) £478,682 £776,107 1
5 The Unholy (Sony) £250,391 £455,391 1

GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.42

UK box office results for the first weekend post-lockdown in 2021 were positive, as Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway topped the chart with a £3.8m weekend.

The Sony family adventure has taken £4.6m since its release on Monday May 17, at a location average of £9,285 – a hugely impressive figure given the social distancing measures in place at UK venues.

The £3.8m figure is up significantly on the £21,626 taken by the number one title – Disney’s Onward – in July at the first reopening. That film played in just 72 venues that weekend, and had already had its release prior to the pandemic; however the return to figures closer to the pre-pandemic results will be welcome news for distributors and exhibitors alike, suggesting increased consumer confidence.

Sony also had Evan Spiliotopoulos’ religious horror The Unholy in fifth spot, which opened to £250,391 across the weekend and has £455,391 since its May 17 opening.

Disney’s Oscar-winning Nomadland pulled in a strong £496,375 for second place, taking its cume to £874,784. The figures show an appetite for the film in cinemas, despite its simultaneous availability on Disney+. The studio also released animation Raya And The Last Dragon to a £213,770 weekend and £235,994 to date; and short The Human Voice, featuring Q&A from Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton, to £43,462 across five days.

Another title available on VoD, Warner Bros’ Godzilla Vs. Kong, took third place with a total gross to date of £1.2m – weekend figures for the film are still to come.

'Spiral: From The Book Of Saw'

Source: Lionsgate

‘Spiral: From The Book Of Saw’

Lionsgate landed in fourth with franchise title Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, which took £478,682 over the weekend and has £776,107 in total. The distributor also released Francis Lee’s romance Ammonite, taking £13,414 across the weekend and £130,324 including last week and festival/preview screenings.

Warner Bros’ released Mortal Kombat to £190,000 for a total gross of £319,000 to date, and Those Who Wish Me Dead starring Angelina Jolie to £188,000 for a total of £312,000.

Another Oscar winner, Vertigo Releasing’s Sound Of Metal, is up to £84,570 including previews, from 205 locations at an average of £413. Vertigo also released My New York Year starring Sigourney Weaver in 110 locations, grossing £19,568 at a £178 average.

Minari, released by Altitude, did £56,124 at the weekend in 122 sites for a £460 average, and has £104,516 in total.

Rare Beasts, the directorial debut of UK actor Billie Piper, opened to £17,000 from a limited release. This came predominantly through sold-out screenings on the Friday and Saturday, including Q&As with Piper.