Archive for February, 2012

Woman in Black holds off Marigold Hotel, Safe House at UK box office

Monday, February 27th, 2012
'The Woman in Black' still

The Woman in Black has topped the UK box office for the third consecutive weekend.

Daniel Radcliffe’s Hammer horror film holds off strong competition from new releases The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Safe House to secure the number one spot with £2.4 million in ticket sales.

Marigold Hotel, which features an all-star British cast that includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson, and action-thriller Safe House both notched up impressive debuts of more than £2 million but still trail behind the supernatural horror among UK cinemagoers.

The Muppets slides two spots to number four, while Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance completes the top five.

With the half-term school holidays over, the top ten sees a dip in takings over the past week, but both The Vow and this weekend’s big Oscar-winner The Artist hold their spots at numbers six and nine respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) The Woman in Black – £2,432,580
2. (-) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – £2,222,051
3. (-) Safe House – £2,142,872
4. (2) The Muppets – £1,490,069
5. (3) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – £487,874
6. (6) The Vow – £480,085
7. (5) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – £411,983
8. (4) Star Wars: Episode I – he Phantom Menace – £404,962
9. (9) The Artist – £352,139
10. (-) One for the Money – £317,762

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Adele grabs 21st week at No.1 with ’21’, achieves four million sales

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Adele has achieved a 21st week at number one on the UK album chart with her mega-selling LP 21.

The singer’s sophomore release, which debuted on the chart 57 weeks ago, rose two places to pole position after posting a 37% sales increase following her performance and victories at the Brit Awards on Tuesday (February 21).

In getting to the top of the chart, 21 has this week broken through the four million sales barrier. Her 2008 debut album 19, which is up two to seven, has also reached the two million milestone and, since the Brits, a copy of either album has been purchased on average every seven seconds.

Last week’s number one Our Version Of Events by Emeli Sandé is pushed down to second place by Adele, while their fellow Brits winner Ed Sheeran climbs from five to three with +.

Former number one Born To Die by Lana Del Rey slips two to four, singles chart champion Gotye is up one to five with Making Mirrors and Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto is up to six from 11 following a post-Brits performance sales boost of 36%.

The Brits effect continues further down the chart, with Florence + The Machine’s Ceremonials climbing a massive 14 places to nine and posting a 72% sales increase, as Doo Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars rises four to 11 off the back of his own performance.

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‘The Woman in Black’ holds UK box office top spot

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman In Black

Daniel Radcliffe‘s The Woman in Black has topped the UK box office with £3.5 million in ticket sales.

The supernatural horror, from British studio Hammer, holds off competition from The Muppets for the second consecutive weekend to emerge as the UK’s number one movie.

Nicolas Cage’s comic book sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is the only new release to trouble the top ten, debuting in third place with £1.3 million.

Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace falls to number four, while Journey 2: The Mysterious Island completes the top five.

With schools on holiday for half-term last week (February 13 to February 17), the box office saw a rise in business with Woman in Black, The Muppets and Journey 2 all increasing their takings from the previous week.

However, the Oscar-tipped silent movie The Artist saw the biggest leap in business as it boosted tickets sales by a huge 102% from the previous week to re-enter the top 10. Michel Hazanavicius’s film has now earned more than £6.8 million after nine weeks on release.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) The Woman in Black – £3,501,601
2. (2) The Muppets – £3,411,698
3. (-) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – £1,340,000
4. (3) Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace – £1,077,302
5. (6) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – £1,061,550
6. (4) The Vow – £953,165
7. (5) Chronicle – £727,871
8. (7) The Descendants – £564,536
9. (11) The Artist – £527,358
10. (8) War Horse – £450,073

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Emeli Sandé wins first No.1 album with ‘Our Version Of Events’

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

Emeli Sandé has landed at the top of the UK album chart with her debut record Our Version Of Events.

The ‘Next To Me’ singer shifted over 113,000 copies of her LP, which becomes the second fastest-selling album of 2012 so far behind outgoing number one Born To Die by Lana Del Rey, which is at two this week.

Third place goes to Adele’s 21, which rises two in its 56th week on the chart after she bagged six awards at the Grammys this week.

Former singles chart champion Gotye achieves the week’s second-highest new entry at four with Making Mirrors, while Maverick Sabre’s Lonely Are The Brave finishes at six after being ousted from the runner-up spot.

The late Whitney Houston re-enters the chart at seven with her 2000 Greatest Hits album, while The Essential Whitney Houston, released in the same year, is at 40. Fans have purchased more than 73,000 copies of her albums in total since her death on February 11.

“The tragic death of Whitney Houston came as a shock to her friends, colleagues and music fans across the world,” Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company commented.

“Again, the British public is demonstrating its love of Whitney, just as it did for Amy Winehouse last year and Michael Jackson in 2009.”

Meanwhile, Adele’s Grammys success also boosts her 2008 debut album 19 a mighty 14 places up the chart to nine, as Rebecca Ferguson locks in the Top 10 after climbing six with Heaven.

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Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘The Woman in Black’ debuts at UK box office No. 1

Monday, February 13th, 2012
The Woman in Black (2012)

Daniel Radcliffe‘s The Woman in Black has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The supernatural horror earned £3.1 million during its three-day opening weekend, making it the highest ever bow for a Hammer film in the UK.

The Muppets, Jason Segel‘s big-screen revival of Jim Henson’s beloved characters, enters the chart in second place with an opening haul of £2.6 million.

In third spot is the 3D re-release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which adds £1.5 million to the £50 million the prequel earned in 1999.

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum star in Screen Gems' THE VOW.

Romantic drama The Vow and found footage superhero film Chronicle complete the top five.

Elsewhere, sequel Journey 2: The Mysterious Island falls four places to number six ahead of George Clooney drama The Descendants.

War Horse, Jack and Jill and Man on a Ledge also dip four places as new releases dominate the top ten.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) The Woman in Black – £3,153,020
2. (-) The Muppets – £2,650,664
3. (-) Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace – £1,528,156
4. (-) The Vow – £1,091,469
5. (1) Chronicle – £1,024,583
6. (2) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – £902,857
7. (3) The Descendants – £743,017
8. (4) War Horse – £580,984
9. (5) Jack and Jill – £521,925
10. (6) Man on a Ledge – £419,979

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Lana Del Rey beats Paul McCartney to albums No.1 with ‘Born To Die’

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

Lana Del Rey has retained the number one spot on the UK album chart for a second week with Born To Die.

The ‘Video Games’ singer’s first album proper lives on at pole position after beating Maverick Sabre’s Lonely Are The Brave and Kisses On The Bottom from Beatles legend Paul McCartney to second and third place.

Van Halen’s 12th studio album A Different Kind Of Truth – their first since reuniting with lead vocalist David Lee Roth – is a new entry at six, while music icon Leonard Cohen slips from second place to eight with Old Ideas.

Further down, Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto and Rizzle Kicks debut Stereo Typical fall four apiece to nine and 11 respectively, Amy Winehouse’s posthumous release Lioness: Hidden Treasures advances two to 12 in its 10th week on the chart and the self-titled album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds drops from eight to 14.

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‘Chronicle’ leaps ahead of ‘Journey 2’

Sunday, February 12th, 2012
'Chronicle'

Chronicle has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The found footage superhero movie, which centres on three teens gifted with extraordinary powers, pulls in more than £2 million at UK cinemas to emerge as the number one movie ahead of Dwayne Johnson’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

George Clooney’s The Descendants drops a spot to number three, while War Horse‘s three-week reign at the chart summit comes to an end as it slips down to number four.

Adam Sandler’s latest comedy Jack and Jill is a new entry at number five.

Elsewhere, the top ten also saw debuts from Man on a Ledge, a heist thriller starring Sam Worthington, and Roman Polanski’s all-star ensemble Carnage.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Chronicle – £2,193,072
2. (-) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – £1,200,587
3. (2) The Descendants – £1,112,964
4. (1) War Horse – £889,687
5. (-) Jack and Jill – £848,814
6. (-) Man on a Ledge – £697,394
7. (3) The Grey – £521,188
8. (4) A Monster in Paris – £474,941
9. (5) The Artist – £377,889
10. (-) Carnage – £298,733

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Lana Del Rey scores biggest album No.1 of 2012 with ‘Born To Die’

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Lana Del Rey has soared to the top of the UK album chart with her debut release Born To Die.

The ‘Video Games’ singer shifted over 117,000 copies of her much-anticipated LP, outselling the rest of the top five combined and making it the fastest-selling record of 2012 so far.

The legendary Leonard Cohen finishes in second place with his 12th studio album Old Ideas, which is the 77-year-old’s first release in eight years, while previous number one + by Ed Sheeran slips to third.

Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto drops three to five in its 19th week of release, as singles chart champion David Guetta scrambles seven to nine with Nothing But The Beat and Bruno Mars is down from four to ten with Doo Wops & Hooligans.

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‘War Horse’ beats ‘The Descendants’ at UK box office

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
Captain Nicholls prepares to ride into battle with the cavalry

Steven Spielberg’s War Horse has spent its third week at the top of the UK box office.

The World War I drama, which stars Jeremy Irvine and Benedict Cumberbatch, holds off strong competition from three new releases to secure first place.

George Clooney’s The Descendants, Liam Neeson’s The Grey and animated movie A Monster in Paris all debuted last week, but none were able to topple Spielberg’s latest film.

The Artist, fresh from picking up 10 Academy Award nominations, climbs up three places to number five. The black and white silent movie has now grossed more than £4 million in the UK.

Elsewhere, Underworld: Awakening is the sharpest faller as it tumbles down four places to seven.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) War Horse – £2,081,490
2. (-) The Descendants – £1,797,939
3. (-) The Grey – £1,094,338
4. (-) A Monster in Paris – £1,043,531
5. (8) The Artist – £704,348
6. (4) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – £655,144
7. (3) Underworld: Awakening – £627,846
8. (5) The Iron Lady – £567,397
9. (6) The Sitter – £554,568
10. (7) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – £529,462

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