A Second Hurrah

The UK box office saw a mix of strong holdovers and intriguing new entries this weekend, with Universal’s Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale retaining the top spot despite a notable drop, while several concert and anniversary titles made their debut.

Top 5 Films

1. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Universal Int’l)Weekend: £2,267,005 | Total: £10,146,361 | Screens: 760 | Weeks: 2Despite a 48% fall-off (excluding previews), the final chapter of the Crawley saga held firm at No. 1. With a cumulative gross of £10,146,361, it now ranks as the 21st highest-grossing film of 2025, just behind Final Destination: Bloodlines. For comparison:

• Downton Abbey (2019): £28.2 million

• Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022): £15.2 million

• Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025): £10.1 million

2. The Conjuring: Last Rites (Warner Bros)Weekend: £1,509,631 | Total: £14,980,906 | Screens: 571 | Weeks: 3A 46% drop in its third week, but still a strong showing for the horror franchise, nearing the £15 million mark.

3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – Infinity Castle (Sony)Weekend: £906,833 | Total: £5,514,781 | Screens: 477 | Weeks: 2A sharp 74% decline, typical for anime event releases, but its total places it as the 30th top-grossing film of the year, just behind Smurfs.

4. The Long Walk (Lionsgate)Weekend: £820,555 | Total: £2,649,547 | Screens: 561 | Weeks: 2A relatively modest 29% drop, or 26% when excluding previews, showing solid word-of-mouth for this drama.

5. The Roses (StudioCanal)Weekend: £602,555 | Total: £8,521,152 | Screens: 576 | Weeks: 4Still performing well in its fourth week, with a 36% decline.

Notable New Entries

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Altitude)Weekend: £533,931 | Screens: 638 | Weeks: 1A strong debut for this UK drama, landing at No. 6 and showing promise for expansion.

The Sound Of Music (60th Anniversary)Weekend: £178,556 | Screens: 335 | Weeks: 1Classic reissue finds an audience, especially among older demographics and family groups.

Tesciowie 3 (Polish release)Weekend: £145,341 | Screens: 157 | Weeks: 1A solid opening for this regional comedy, boosted by targeted marketing.

Jolly LLB 3 (Bollywood)Weekend: £115,677 | Screens: 103 | Weeks: 1A niche but respectable launch for the legal comedy sequel.

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe (Concert)Weekend: £88,284 | Screens: 223 | Weeks: 1Concert cinema continues to draw loyal fans, especially in midweek and matinee slots.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies (Re: 2025)Weekend: £66,282 | Screens: 281 | Weeks: 1Theatre fans turned out for this remastered musical re-release.

Interesting Holdovers

Inter Alia – NT Live 2025 (Theatre)Weekend: £215,507 | Total: £1,470,852 | Screens: 330 | Weeks: 4A massive 2072% surge, likely driven by encore screenings and school group bookings.

Rome David Gilmour Live At The Circus MaximusWeekend: £114,943 | Total: £376,663 | Screens: 313 | Weeks: 2A 1200% increase, suggesting strong second-week demand after limited initial rollout.

The Bad Guys 2 (Universal)Weekend: £232,309 | Total: £13,276,946 | Screens: 497 | Weeks: 9Still drawing family audiences, with only an 18% drop in its ninth week.

Freakier Friday (Disney)Weekend: £137,829 | Total: £8,712,449 | Screens: 351 | Weeks: 7Holding well for a comedy remake, down 35% this weekend.

Coming Soon – Titles to Watch

Next weekend sees a wave of concert films and anniversary reissues, with BTS fans likely to drive significant traffic:

• BTS 2016 & 2017 Concert Marathon – Trafalgar Releasing

• BTS 2019 'SPEAK YOURSELF' LONDON Remastered – Trafalgar Releasing

• BTS 2021 SOWOOZOO Remastered – Trafalgar Releasing

• Billy Elliot (25th Anniversary Reissue) – Universal

• Hamilton (10th Anniversary) – Walt Disney

• Spider-Man 2.1 (Re: 2025) – Park Circus

• The Strangers: Chapter 2 – Lionsgate

• Detective Conan 28 – Trinity/Cine Asia