Planes and Kick Ass 2 storm chart in last two weeks of August

Big studio animations did well in August but what other films impressed?

Landing on British soil in mid August was the Cars spin-off, Planes, and as expected it swept up a large portion of box office success, taking an impressive £4 million so far. However, Planes hasn’t reached the heights of other studio animations such as Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University – perhaps the negative reviews from Cars 2 in 2011 hasn’t done it any favours. Planes is expected to build on its steady start with families rushing to the cinema before schools start back in the coming days.

Kick Ass 2 has done well in its first two weeks with the help of a bold marketing campaign and clever release date among more child friendly competition. Teenagers and adults flocked to the cinema to see the irregular superhero sequel; with a taking of £4 million in the UK alone. With a budget of only £18 million, a third film looks like a very serious proposition.

The real winner of the month however has been Grown Ups 2, which has achieved similar figures to it’s predecessor, Grown Ups, which was released in 2010. Grown Ups 2 has been out for 3 weeks and grossed almost £7 million so far on its run; not bad for a film based around middle aged men who meet up with their families. This could easily be another franchise in the making; bring on film number three.

Despicable Me 2 which dominated last month’s box office is remarkably still hanging on to an impressive 9th place, despite being in its ninth week since release. This animated kid’s comedy is currently in third place for 2013 overall takings in the UK, with a whopping £43 million taken so far. Blockbusters Monsters University and The Smurfs 2 are also both still in the top ten maxing out profits before the summer holidays come to an end.

Elysium, starring Matt Damon and directed by Neill Blomkamp, was released this week and has already done great business, bringing in over £3 million. This will be a relief for Blomkamp who wowed critics and audiences with his break out film, District 9, four years ago and will ensure his politicised action style will be seen in the future without a slashed budget.

Big-budget, live-action blockbuster, The Lone Ranger, generated a hugely disappointing £4 million – only 1/35th of its £140 million budget. The Lone Ranger was set to be Johnny Depp and Jerry Bruckheimer’s next Pirates of the Caribbean type franchise for Disney but this is unlikely to get a sequel. It may still do well in other areas and will most certainly bring back some of its losses in DVD and Blu Ray sales.

One British success this month has certainly been Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, which has made over £5 million in its first three weeks here in the UK. With an estimated budget of just £4 million and DVD and Blu ray sales to come, this looks promising for the comedy character played by Steve Coogan. Read our review!

It’s been a roller coaster ride this month at the box office, but we have a lot more opening in September. Look out for the monthly FIlmAttic predictions article coming your way in the next few days.

Click here to view the latest Box Office Table