Maleficent reigns at the top spot in the UK

Straight to the top spot is Disney’s Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, after making £6,590,071 on its opening weekend. The film is a live-action version of Walt Disney’s 1959 animated film  Sleeping Beauty and portrays the story from the perspective of the antagonist, Maleficent (Jolie) who is driven to curse a young princess only to realise that the princess may be the only person who can restore peace to their troubled land. Maleficent was received to mixed reviews with critics praising Jolie’s performance and the visual effects but criticising its script. Robbie Collin of The Telegraph states, ‘This Disney reimagining of Sleeping Beauty lacks true enchantment, but Angelina Jolie saves the day.’

Struck down by Disney to second place on the box office chart is last week’s top earning film X-Men: Days of Futures Past. The film which focuses on two time periods as the X-Men send Wolverine back to 1973 in a desperate effort to change history and save the future of mutant kind, made another £3,518,389 adding to its total to make £19,473,504 after two weeks on release in the UK. X-Men: Days of Futures Past features a star studded cast such as Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart amongst others.

New in third place is science fiction film Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, which made £1,886,96 on its opening weekend. The film is based on the Japanese light novel, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and follows the story of a military officer who finds himself caught in a time loop in a war with an alien race. Edge of Tomorrow has received largely positive reviews from critics with many directing the praise to the humour, the aliens’ design, and Cruise and Blunt’s performances, and they did not find the time-loop premise tiresome. Justin Chang of Variety stated that Edge of Tomorrow was ‘a cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller’ and said the film was director Doug Liman’s best since The Bourne Identity (2002).

New in fourth place is American western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West, directed by and starring Seth MacFarlane, which made £1,240,465 on its opening weekend in the UK. The film also features an ensemble cast including Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson.  A Million Ways to Die in the West follows a cowardly farmer as he begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, but he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival. The film received mixed reviews with Jason Korsner of UK Screen stating, ‘There’s a lot of laughter to be had, but rather than having the edge you’d expect from Seth MacFarlane, apart from a couple of dangerous moments where you can feel the nervous audience wince, the overall experience from this rare MacFarlane misfire is one of disappointment as he delivers little more than a formulaic genre love story.’

Down to fifth place is monster film Godzilla which brought in £982,401 last weekend in cinema ticket sales. The film is a reboot of the Godzilla film franchise as it retells the origins of Godzilla in contemporary times as a terrifying force of nature. After three weeks on release the film has made a gross of £15,491,394.

Comedy Bad Neighbours in down to sixth place on its fourth weekend on release after making £555,308 last weekend bringing its total in the UK to £15,191,022.

Down to seventh place on its second weekend is British computer animated comedy Postman Pat: The Movie which made £479,867 last weekend. Postman Pat finds his beliefs challenged after he enters a TV talent show competition. Pat is voiced by Stephen Mangan and Pat’s singing voice is performed by Ronan Keating. The film has grossed £2,395,592 in the UK.

Eighth place sees romantic comedy Blended drop from fifth place after making £227,467 last weekend in cinemas. The film revolves around a man and a woman, who after a bad blind date, find themselves stuck together at a resort for families, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship. Blended has grossed £1,775,901 in the UK so far.

Down to ninth place after an impressive nine weeks on the box office charts, sees animated comedy Rio 2, which made £214,096 last weekend, bringing its total in the UK to £14,839,650.

New in tenth place is Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall which made £131,703 last weekend. The film is about the deportation to the US of a 1930’s Irish political activist called Jimmy Gralton, who is played by Irish actor Barry Ward. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and has received generally positive reviews with Jason Korsner of UK Screen stating, ‘Ultimately, Loach has a somewhat pessimistic outlook – if everything worked out in the 1930s, he wouldn’t still be moaning about it now – so you’re likely to leave with a bit of a sour taste in your mouth, but the narrative is passionate and while it has less relevance to the twenty first century than many of his films, Jimmy’s Hall can be enjoyed as an accessible, romantic drama.’

Look out for next week: 22 Jump Street, The Dirties, and Grace of Monaco.