Weekend Roundup: Oct 23 - GHOSTwatch

The weekend delivered a muted frame, with the top fifteen combining for £11,694,559. That places the session as the 16th worst weekend of the year, although a quartet of new wide releases helped provide some fresh momentum at the top of the chart. Family comedy, comic book fare, nostalgia driven reissues and animated fantasy all made notable appearances, while several holdovers continued their progress towards significant yearly and all time milestones.

Weekend roundup

• Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House: £2,458,995; Week 1. Includes £47,631 from 3 previews. A strong debut that lands as the 30th best opening of 2026, behind Masters Of The Universe. The television spin off comfortably tops the chart and immediately establishes itself as one of the stronger comedy launches of the year.

• Clayface: £2,011,764; Week 1. Includes £81,567 from 362 previews. The latest DC adaptation opens in second place and ranks as the 38th best opening of the year, behind Pressure. A respectable launch, though not among the upper tier comic book openings of recent years.

• Ali G: Who Iz I?: £1,344,873; Week 1. The nostalgia driven return for the character debuts in third and claims the 48th best opening of 2026, behind Crime 101. An impressive result for a catalogue revival and one that demonstrates continued audience affection for the character.

• Wildwood: £1,022,599; Week 1. Includes £39,482 from 2 previews. Opening in fourth place, the fantasy adventure secures the 57th best debut of the year, behind The Dog Stars. A solid start that should benefit from family audiences over the coming weeks.

• Street Fighter: £1,009,598; Week 2; down 56%. Despite a sizeable drop, the video game adaptation remains above £1 million and pushes its total to £4,282,556 and the 40th top grossing film of 2026 behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

• Forgotten Island: £938,056; Week 2; down 28%. Without previews the fall also sits at 28%, signalling an excellent hold. Its running total now stands at £2,871,500 after just two weekends.

• Verity: £642,436; Week 4; down 41%. Another sturdy performance lifts the thriller to £10,822,988. The film becomes the 20th highest grossing release of 2026, behind Disclosure Day, and enters the all time chart as the 731st highest grossing film ever, behind Looper.

• Fatherland: £311,086; Week 1. Includes £111,636 from 45 previews. A decent specialised launch for MUBI, with previews accounting for over a third of the opening total.

• Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom: £305,893; Week 6; up 15%. The only title in the top fifteen to increase week on week. Its total now stands at £4,692,675, highlighting impressive family audience staying power.

• Tad And The Magic Lamp: £276,677; Week 1. Includes £101,972 from 467 previews. A modest animated opening, though preview business represented a significant portion of the debut.

Holdovers and milestones

Verity continues to be one of the breakout success stories of recent weeks. Crossing the £10 million mark is a significant achievement, and its placement as the 20th biggest film of 2026 confirms its success as a long legged adult skewing performer. Resident Evil suffered a steep 81% decline in its sixth weekend, yet still advanced its cumulative total to £14,158,079. That places it as the 15th highest grossing release of 2026, behind Moana, while also ranking as the 540th highest grossing film of all time, behind The Suicide Squad.

Forgotten Island delivered one of the strongest holds in the chart, falling just 28% in its second weekend. Family audiences also continued to support Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, which enjoyed a notable 15% increase in its sixth frame.

Meanwhile, Sense And Sensibility added £193,094, down 38%, bringing its total to £6,377,022 after five weeks. Heart Of The Beast also crossed a significant threshold, reaching £7,006,353 after five weekends.

Ones to watch next week

The coming frame brings a crowded release schedule, though three titles appear best positioned to make an impact near the top of the chart. Wicker looks set to be the biggest new opener. Strong genre appeal, seasonal timing and audience curiosity should place it firmly among the weekend leaders. Primetime appears the strongest mainstream challenger. Early interest suggests a solid multiplex performance and a likely top five debut. In The Shadows has the potential to attract horror audiences looking for an alternative to larger studio fare and could surprise if word of mouth proves strong. Also look for The Devils re-release to do well and should enter the top 15.

Opening Next week:

Wicker

Primetime

In the shadows

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

Cult

Nightborn

Bad Day At The Office

It's Always The End Of The World

Gentle Monster

Everest: The Other Side

Karaoke Murder

Arnie & Barney

Animol

Chatni

Catli 2

Patakka Guddiyan

Tu Hai Meri Kiran

Itllu Arjuna

V For Vendetta (20th Anniversary)

Donnie Darko (25th Anniversary 4K Restoration)

Pan's Labyrinth (20th Anniversary 4K Restoration)

Ken Russell’s The Devils (4K Restoration)

Rammstein - Live In Mexico City (Concert)

Golden Boy - NT Live 2026 (Theatre)

BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN SAO PAULO: LIVE VIEWING (Concert)

Final take

A weekend total of £11,694,559 places this frame among the weaker sessions of the year, but the arrival of four new entries at the top of the chart prevented a more severe downturn. Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House comfortably led proceedings with the strongest debut, while Clayface, Ali G: Who Iz I? and Wildwood all posted respectable openings. Among holdovers, Verity crossing £10 million stands as the headline achievement, while Forgotten Island and Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom delivered the healthiest holds of the weekend. Next frame should see the marketplace receive a needed boost, led by Wicker and a strong slate of genre and anniversary releases.