Sony Pictures Entertainment’s family comedy Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is the widest opener at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, as horror franchise Halloween comes to a close with Universal Pictures’ Halloween Ends.
Released in 656 locations, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is based on Bernard Warber’s 1965 children’s story of the same name, and its prequel The House On East 88th Street, about a crocodile that lives in New York City.
The film is directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck; it combines computer animation – including for the crocodile – with live-action. Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes voices the title character, with Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy and Brett Gelman also on the cast.
It is a fourth feature for US directing duo Gordon and Speck, who have worked in the comedy genre to date. They broke through with 2007’s Blades Of Glory (opened: £1m; closed: £6m), and followed it with 2010’s The Switch (£852,697; £1.9m) and 2016’s Office Christmas Party (£1.2m; £3.1m).
Alongside Matthew Margeson, composers on the film are Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who scored box office hit The Greatest Showman, and wrote the lyrics for the songs in La La Land.
Universal is bringing the current iteration of the Halloween franchise to a close with Halloween Ends. It opens in 580 sites – the widest start of the three-film franchise reboot.
That started with 2018’s Halloween, which opened to £2.7m from 538 cinemas, closing just short of £9m. Delayed by the pandemic, sequel Halloween Kills opened to £1.6m from 501 cinemas in October last year, closing on £5m.
Halloween Ends is the 12thHalloween film in total; the story picks up four years after Halloween Kills, and sees Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode face horror icon Michael Myers in a final showdown.
David Gordon Green is writer, director and executive producer on all three films; his other credits include 2008 comedy Pineapple Express (opened: £1.4m; closed: £3.9m).
Emily comes home
Warner Bros is starting Frances O’Connor’s Emily in 564 locations this weekend, following a debut in the Platform section at Toronto International Film Festival last month. Starring 2019 Screen Star of Tomorrow Emma Mackey in the title role, the film depicts the coming-of-age of Emily Bronte, writer of classic novel Wuthering Heights.
Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Adrian Dunbar and Gemma Jones also star, with Alexandra Dowling, Amelia Gething and Fionn Whitehead as Emily’s author siblings Charlotte, Anne and Branwell respectively.
Produced by Piers Tempest’s UK firm Tempo Productions in association with Embankment Films and Australia’s Arenamedia, Emily is a directorial debut for UK-Australian filmmaker O’Connor. She has extensive credits as an actor, including in 1999’s Mansfield Park, 2000’s Bedazzled, 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence and 2002’s The Importance Of Being Earnest.
Documentary specialists Dogwoof are starting Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes in seven sites. It follows two brothers who devote their lives to protecting a bird known as the Black Kite, against the backdrop of Delhi’s apocalyptic air and escalating violence.
The film debuted at the online Sundance Film Festival in January, winning the Grand Jury Prize in the world cinema – documentary category; and played as a Special Screening at Cannes, winning the Golden Eye award.
Eclipse Pictures is starting Robert Manson’s Irish drama Holy Island in four cinemas in Ireland; and Verve Pictures has Marcos Mereles’ fantasy All Is Vanity in two sites.
Further releases include Barbie: Mermaid Power through National Amusements; Dr Who Am I through Kaleidoscope; The Legend Of Maula Jatt through Moviegoers Entertainment; Code Name: Tiranga through Reliance Entertainment; Doctor G through DJ Tech Ltd; and a 35th anniversary 4k restoration of The Lost Boys in 253 cinemas through Park Circus, including Cineworld, Odeon and Vue sites.
Paramount horror Smile leads the holdovers this weekend, having stormed to the top of the chart on its second session with a 17% increase in the UK and Ireland. Data from analytics firm ComScore indicated that a younger audience is driving its success; 61% of viewers are under 24 years old, compared to the 47% mark for other horror films.
Other holdovers include Warner Bros’ two-time number one Don’t Worry Darling, eOne’s The Woman King and Universal’s Ticket To Paradise.
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