All-star murder mystery Death On The Nile leads the new openers at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, which will also see a wide release for action thriller Uncharted, starring Tom Holland.
Released by the Walt Disney Studios, Death On The Nile opens in a hefty 718 sites – the widest release since October 2020, when James Bond blockbuster No Time To Die opened in a record 772 cinemas.
The Agatha Christie adaptation is a follow-up to Murder On The Orient Express, which opened on 624 sites and took £4.98m across its opening weekend from November 5, 2017.
In this sequel, Kenneth Branagh returns both as director and star, playing detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of a young heiress while on a cruise along the Nile. The cast includes Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Letitia Wright and Armie Hammer. Filmed in late 2019, its initial release date in October 2020 has been delayed by the pandemic.
Also opening this weekend is action adventure Uncharted, led by Spider-Man star Tom Holland. Sony Pictures Releasing will open the film in 580 sites. Directed by Ruben Fleischer and based on a hit video game series, Holland plays Nathan Drake, who is recruited by a seasoned treasure hunter – played by Mark Wahlberg – as they go on a quest to find the lost gold of Magellen.
Universal will offer an alternative with romantic comedy Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, directed by Kat Coiro. The studio will open the US feature in 502 sites.
Disney will also open Get Back – The Rooftop Concert on Imax screens this weekend, showing the last live performance of The Beatles in full. It follows the success of the Disney+ docu-series, The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson. It will expand to non-Imax screens from February 18.
Fresh from receiving an historic three Oscar nominations, animated documentary Flee will be released across 43 sites by Curzon. Directed by Denmark’s Jonas Poher Rasmussen, the film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival 2021 and was the first documentary ever to be nominated in the animated feature category of the Academy Awards, and the first animation to be nominated for best documentary.
Modern Films will open Japanese romantic drama Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy in 28 sites. It is directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who picked up four Oscar nominations this week for another of his films, Drive My Car. Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy first screened at the industry-only Berlinale in 2021, where it was awarded the Silver Bear grand jury prize.
Another festival favourite opening this weekend is Kirill Serebrennikov’s Petrov’s Flu. After premiering in Competition at Cannes in 2021, Sovereign Film Distribution will open the Russian crime comedy-drama in eight cinemas. Sovereign plans to expand in week two, with a one-night screening and recorded Q&A with Serebrennikov set to play across 37 Odeon sites simultaneously.
Kinostar will release Patryk Vega’s Polish romantic drama Love, Sex And Pandemic in 167 sites while Zee Studios International will open Indian feature Badhaai in 41 sites.
Magic Light Pictures will open two half-hour family films, Superworm and The Gruffalo, at 107 Odeon cinemas. Superworm will screen with animation Zog at Vue and Showcase, but those figures have yet to be released.
Key holdovers include Sing 2, Jackass Forever, Belfast, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Moonfall.
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