New Year, old faces

The chart held steady this weekend, with a mix of strong sophomore performances, sharp drops, and a handful of notable new entries adding texture to the chart. While no film came close to matching last week’s highs, several titles delivered meaningful milestones and year‑to‑date achievements.

Weekend roundup

• Avatar: Fire And Ash — £4,427,063; 665 screens; Week 3; down 27%. A commanding third‑week hold keeps it at the top of the chart, pushing its total to £31,598,261. It is now the 6th top‑grossing film of the year, sitting just behind Jurassic World Rebirth, and ranks as the 151st highest‑grossing film of all time, just behind Slumdog Millionaire. For context, the original Avatar reached £93,960,000 in the UK, while Avatar: The Way of Water finished with £78,971,225.

• The Housemaid — £3,857,747; 647 screens; Week 2; down 13%. A very strong second‑week hold, especially once previews are removed, where the fall becomes an impressive 26% increase. Its total now stands at £12,367,166, marking it as one of Lionsgate’s most robust performers of the year.

• Marty Supreme — £2,764,274; 625 screens; Week 2; up 98%. The weekend’s most dramatic surge. After a modest debut, word of mouth appears to have kicked in, nearly doubling its opening weekend and lifting its total to £6,002,922. A rare second‑week jump of this scale.

• Zootropolis 2 — £2,084,983; 679 screens; Week 6; up 34%. A remarkable late‑run rebound pushes the animated sequel to £27,522,024. Family audiences continue to show up in force, and the film’s weekend increase is one of the strongest in the top 10.

• The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants — £1,177,468; 626 screens; Week 2; down 61%. A steep drop on paper, but without previews the fall‑off improves to 11%, suggesting a more stable underlying performance. Total now £5,996,385.

• Song Sung Blue — £936,255 opening; 611 screens; Week 1; includes £227,910 from 496 previews. A wide launch for Universal International, landing mid‑table with a solid preview‑boosted start.

• Anaconda — £974,797; 587 screens; Week 2; down 24%. Without previews, the fall‑off is 23%. The Sony International thriller reaches £3,888,750 after ten days.

• Wicked: For Good — £605,794; 486 screens; Week 7; down 25%. Its total climbs to £46,484,065, allowing it to overtake Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (£46,381,049) to become the 2nd highest‑grossing film of 2025 so far. A major milestone for the long‑running musical hit.

• Back To The Past — £251,826 opening; 70 screens; Week 1. A small‑scale debut with a strong per‑screen average, likely to expand if word of mouth proves favourable.

• Sentimental Value — £182,436; 207 screens; Week 2; down 28%. Total now £606,416. A modest hold for a niche drama.

• Sarvam Maya — £166,283; 135 screens; Week 2; down 1%. One of the weekend’s most stable performers, bringing its total to £509,320.

• Dhurandhar — £135,387; 104 screens; Week 5; down 47%. Total now £2,811,616.

• Happy Feet (20th Anniversary) — £53,768 opening; 299 screens; Week 1. A celebratory reissue drawing in family audiences and nostalgia‑driven viewers.

• Peter Hujar’s Day — £53,175 opening; 40 screens; Week 1. A small arthouse debut with a focused footprint.

• Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 — £46,057; 141 screens; Week 5; down 63%. Total now £6,743,069. A sharp drop but a strong cumulative result for the horror sequel.

Quick Take:

A quieter frame overall, but one defined by standout individual stories. Marty Supreme’s extraordinary 98% rise is the weekend’s headline surprise, while Zootropolis 2 continues to defy gravity deep into its run. Avatar: Fire And Ash remains the dominant blockbuster of early 2025, crossing major all‑time and year‑to‑date thresholds. Wicked: For Good’s ascent to the No. 2 spot of the year further cements its status as one of the most durable releases in the market.

Ones to watch next week:

A varied slate arrives, with several titles poised to make an impact across different audience segments.

• Escape From The Outland

• Hamnet Giant

• Becoming Victoria Wood

• A Dairy Story

• The Raja Saab

• Jana Nayagan

• Labyrinth (40th Anniversary)

• Tallaani

  
  

Final Take:

While no new release broke out in a major way, the weekend delivered strong holdovers, meaningful milestones, and one of the most dramatic second‑week jumps in recent memory. With a diverse set of new titles on the horizon—from prestige dramas to anniversary screenings, the coming frame could see renewed momentum across UK cinemas.