Kenneth Branagh’s ‘A Haunting in Venice’ Stays Atop U.K., Ireland Box Office

Taylor Swift seems set to do for the UK cinema industry what she has pulled off for the live entertainment industry, ie provide a much-needed cash injection.

Naman Ramachandran Universal’s “The Exorcist: Believer” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. In its second weekend, in second place, Disney’s “The Creator” collected £1 million for a total of £4.1 million.

Naman Ramachandran Disney sci-fi epic “The Creator” and Lionsgate U.K.’s horror franchise entry “Saw X” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office — and the race was almost too close to call. “Saw X” won the three-day total with £1.92 million ($2.31 million), while “The Creator” was just behind with £1.89 million ($2.27 million).

Refresh for latest…: Here we are with a sort of hybrid weekend at the international box office: there were fresh entries from the Hollywood studios, as well as major new titles timed to holiday play in local markets, and a holdover that’s continuing to rack up records.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Paramount’s animated sequel “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” topped the box office in its debut, earning a solid $23 million from 3,989 North American locations over the weekend. Those ticket sales were more than enough to rule over the three other new nationwide releases, which could be categorized as the good (Lionsgate’s gruesome “Saw X“), the meh (Disney and New Regency’s sci-fi thriller “The Creator“) and the ugly (Sony’s Game Stop stock-inspired “Dumb Money“). “Saw X” took second place with $18 million, an impressive start for the 10th entry in the long-running horror series.

Jordan Moreau Move over, Barbenheimer, it’s time for Saw Patrol. This weekend sees the releases of four major movies, including Paramount’s family friendly “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” Lionsgate’s gory, R-rated “Saw X,” 20th Century’s sci-fi epic “The Creator” and “Sony’s GameStop stock story “Dumb Money.” “PAW Patrol” is expected to come out on top with an estimated $18 million to $20 million opening, but “Saw X” will be right on its tail with an estimated $15 million to $18 million. However, some projections go as high as $20 million to $25 million, overtaking the “PAW Patrol” pups.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Expendables 4,” an action-thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, misfired in its box office debut, tumbling to a franchise-low $8.3 million. It landed in ever-so-slightly second place behind “The Nun II,” which collected $8.4 million in its third weekend. It’s possible the order could flip by the time the final tally is revealed on Monday.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.“The Nun II” is the ninth installment in the “The Conjuring” franchise, the highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Collider called the latest flick “an effective, gory, and impressively scary addition to the “Conjuringuniverse” that also stands as a solidly on its own.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” has been rattling North American theaters for a week now, signaling the start to spooky season with a packed ensemble cast featuring the likes of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly. Branagh’s players (and the director himself) weren’t able speak on behalf of the moody chamber piece due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Variety caught up with veteran producer Judy Hofflund (who made the first two Poirot films with Branagh, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”) to discuss Fey’s journey to leading lady status in a film from this era, as well as the future of Branagh’s mustachioed sleuth.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Expend4bles,” the fourth action-thriller starring Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone as elite mercenaries on a mission, is expected to top the box office in its debut. It’s aiming for $15 million in its opening weekend, which would be the lowest of the franchise. There’s a chance, though, it could slightly exceed expectations with $17 million.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s Hercule Poirot film “A Haunting in Venice” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £2.1 million ($2.7 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. In its second weekend, in second place, Warner Bros.’ “The Nun II” collected £1.1 million for a total of £3.8 million.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief ‘Expendables 4’ narrowly took top place at the mainland China box office on a quiet weekend preceding the National Day holiday season at the end of the month. “A Haunting in Venice” opened outside the top five. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Expendables 4” earning $10.9 million (RMB78.6 million) over its debut weekend.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/New Line’s The Nun II continued to conjure strong business around the globe this weekend, taking the top spot again worldwide and overseas. The sophomore session of $30.1M in 72 offshore markets brings the international box office cume to $102.3M and worldwide to $158.8M so far.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s another close race at the box office. The Warner Bros. thriller “The Nun II” is projected to ever-so-slightly outpace the competition with $14.7 million in its second weekend.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The supernatural mystery, which The Post called a “surefooted film with strong performances and a luxurious-yet-frightful tone,” is based on a 1969 Agatha Christie novel.“The Nun II,” which was in first place last week, moved down a notch to the No. 2 spot, with earnings of $4.4 million.

J. Kim Murphy Hercule Poirot is back on the case this weekend, with Kenneth Branagh’s “A Haunting in Venice” hoping to best a very quiet box office in its opening. The horror-tinged whodunnit scored$5.5 million from 3,305 theaters on its opening day, a figure that includes $1.2 million in Thursday previews.

In its latest milestone, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has passed the $900M mark worldwide. The estimated total through Friday is $903M, including $586M from the international box office. With Saturday and Sunday numbers, that global cume is projected to reach $912M. This will make it the highest grossing biopic ever at the global box office, ahead of Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Hildur Guðnadóttir grew up on Agatha Christie mysteries. “I totally lived for those novels,” the composer says. Ever since then, she has wanted to sink her teeth into story by the famous author.

Jordan Moreau Kenneth Branagh is suiting up as Detective Hercule Poirot once again, with the actor-director’s latest movie, “A Haunting in Venice,” opening in theaters this weekend. The 20th Century Studios movie made $1.2 million in Thursday previews at the box office. The supernatural whodunnit is expected to open between $13 million and $15 million, which would land it between the franchise’s previous two entries, “Murder on the Orient Express” from 2017 and last year’s “Death on the Nile.” All three movies are based on Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novels, with the first “Murder on the Orient Express” standing as the most successful with a $28.6 million opening.

20th Century Studios’ Kenneth Branagh starring and directed, A Haunting in Venice, has scared up $1.2M in previews. The weekend outlook for the feature take of the Agatha Christie novel Hallowe’en is $12M+, similar to what Branagh’s feature take on the author’s Death on the Nile did back in 2022 in its first weekend, $12.8M.