The Amazing Spider-Man 2 reaches top spot in UK

Straight to the top spot is American superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which made £9,011,114 on its opening weekend. It is the sequel to the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man and sees Andrew Garfield returning as Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti and Sally Field also star. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 revolves around Peter Parker as he runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life. The film has received generally negative reviews among critics with Jason Korsner stating, ‘Apart from being just a little bit messy, its biggest failing, like its most direct predecessor, is that if you’re going to reboot a franchise that’s still fresh, exciting and successful, what you come up with really has to be Amazing because audiences either won’t need any more or will want more of the same. And while this does almost everything it says on the tin, it’s not really amazing. And if you’re going to use that word in the title, you’re always going to be a hostage to fortune.’

On June 17, 2013, Sony announced two more planned sequels to follow The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with the third film getting the release date of June 10, 2016, and the fourth film on May 4, 2018. In December 2013, Garfield revealed that he’s signed for three films, but is not sure of his involvement for the fourth film. That same month, Sony announced two planned spinoffs of the film series featuring Venom and the Sinister Six which may release before the fourth Amazing Spider-Man film, with Spider-Man potentially appearing in both spin-offs.

Back up to second place is comedy Rio 2 which made £1,132,641 after three weeks on release. The film follows the story of Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they’re hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon and has made a total of £9,790,565 in the UK.

Down to third place is American epic Noah, which brought in £920,803 last weekend in cinema ticket sales and has a gross in the UK of £7,839,969.

Falling from first place to fourth is Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier which made £831,901 last weekend. The film has grossed £16,748,625 after four weeks on release.

New in fifth place is British comedy The Love Punch which made £613,424 on its opening weekend and stars Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson. The film is about a divorced couple’s scheme to recover the retirement money that was stolen from them and received generally negative reviews. Jonathan Romney of The Guardian states, ‘Directed by Joel Hopkins with what you can only call “le Michael Winner touch”, this comedy is set in France, where everyone is either dastardly, cartoonish or ever so ooh-la-la. Brosnan mocks himself affably (yes, again), Thompson shoots him “oh-you’re-incorrigible” looks, and the whole thing is middle-aged, middle-class and middle-budget, like a big-screen episode of Terry and June. Utterly joyless – although you can somehow imagine Nigel Farage enjoying it immensely.’

Three weeks in the charts for sci-fi Divergent which brought in £500,206 last weekend and totalling £5,445,854 in the UK bringing it down to sixth place. The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions. She soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in her seemingly perfect society.

Remaining in seventh place is Irish black comedy Calvary which made £394,095 last weekend. The film follows a good-natured priest (played by Brendan Gleeson) as he must battle dark forces around him after being threatened during a confession. Received positively by critics, Calvary has grossed £1,394,543 in the UK so far.

Four weeks in the charts for comedy Muppets Most Wanted making £366,312 last weekend, making its total in the UK at £6,159,978.

New in ninth place is drama thriller Locke which is written and directed by Steven Knight and stars Tom Hardy. The film made £251,063 on its opening weekend and follows Ivan Locke (Hardy), a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, as he receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his careful cultivated existence. The film has received universal acclaim with Jason Korsner of UK Screen stating, ‘Locke is worth watching for Hardy’s compelling performance, the surprisingly effective cinematography, the neat unfolding of the situation through a well-paced script, but ultimately, it feels like Knight had a good idea without really knowing where to take it. It’s more admirable than satisfying.’

New in tenth place is Indian romantic comedy, 2 States, which made £208,578 on its opening weekend in the UK. The film is based on the 2009 novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat and is a story about a romantic journey of a culturally opposite couple – Krish Malhotra and Ananya Swaminathan. 2 States received positive to mixed reviews from critics with Meena Iyer of The Times of India stating, ‘What makes 2 States work is the simple narrative told humorously. Adapted as it is, from one of author Chetan Bhagat’s best-selling works, the film, just like the book before it, is light-hearted.’

Look out for next week: The Other Woman, Transcendence and Tracks.