Treasure film glows atop UK chart

[Detomah]

National Treasure: Book of Secrets topped the UK and Ireland film box office on its debut weekend, displacing monster film Cloverfield.
The action sequel, in which Nicolas Cage reprises his role as a treasure hunter, took £2.5m in ticket sales.
It beat Juno - also on its opening weekend - into second place. The teenage pregnancy comedy took £2m.

Other new films in the chart included Loch Ness monster movie The Water Horse and romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe.

UK AND IRELAND BOX OFFICE

1. National Treasure: Book of Secrets - £2.48m
2. Juno - £2m
3. Cloverfield - £1.65m
4. Sweeney Todd - £766,000
5. The Water Horse - £760,000

The Water Horse was at number five, taking £760,000, one place ahead of Definitely, Maybe with £697,000.

Oscar-nominated There Will Be Blood was a new entry at number 11 on its opening weekend, taking £212,000.

But the film, which earned leading man Daniel Day-Lewis a best actor Bafta at the weekend, was showing at only 24 cinemas.

Last week's box office leader Cloverfield fell to third place with takings of £1.7m, bringing its overall tally to £6.7m.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Treasure film glows atop UK chart

Note: Tis sad really, you look at the UK figures for blockbusters and it clearly shows how few people are bothering going to the cinema any more. I know America is a lot bigger, but by comparison a huge amount more of Americans go watch a movie in the cinema each week than over here. I know if I had a cinema in my actual town i'd go every single week, it's only for the fact I have to mess around with buses and long walks that I only bother when it's something I really want to see. Anyway, I quite like Nicolas Cage as an actor and am personally looking forward to seeing this latest movie from him, even though it's been a bit hit and miss with some critics.

[ulaga]

Frank Perry is an institutionalized convict twelve years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined he make peace with her before it's too late. He develops an ingenious escape plan, and recruits a dysfunctional band of escapists - misfits with a mutual dislike for one other but united by their desire to escape their hell hole of an existence. Much of the action takes place within the tunnels, sewers and underground rivers of subterranean London.

[teflon]

Originally Posted by Detomah

Tis sad really, you look at the UK figures for blockbusters and it clearly shows how few people are bothering going to the cinema any more. I know America is a lot bigger, but by comparison a huge amount more of Americans go watch a movie in the cinema each week than over here.

That's not always true actually, if you bear in mind there are 5 times as many yanks and a quid is 2 bucks, some weeks we do spend more per head at the 'pikchers'.
The releases in the last week or two have been a complete pile of crap, it's always that way just after the Oscars, but I bet for Indiana Jones and stuff like that, we will hold our own.

National Treasure 2 does look like it should be good, I haven't seen it but apparently it's awful. I hope not.
Another reason why cinemas in the UK over the last few weeks might have been screwed is that all the Oscar nominees are available in DVD quality over the internet and people were probably too busy watching them to go and pay to see utter shite like Semi-Pro, Rambo and the Wank Job.