Tag: U.K.

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Finishes Second Week Atop U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

Warner Bros.’ Zack Snyder’s Justice League held its grip atop the U.K.’s Official Film Chart in home entertainment for a second period ending May 5 — driven by digital downloads. The title held off several other Warner/DC movies, including Wonder Woman 1984 (No. 2), 2016’s prequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (No. 3) and Oscar winner Joker (No. 5).

The week’s highest new entry at No. 4 was British comedy Blithe Spirit, starring Judi Dench, Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann and Judi Dench. A writer suffering from writer’s block attends a séance, but the medium accidentally summons the spirit of his first wife — leading to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife.

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At No. 6 was two-time Oscar winner Judas and the Black Messiah, starring LaKeith Stanfield and featuring an Oscar-winning performance from Daniel Kaluuya for his portrayal of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party.

Japanese classic cult shocker Battle Royale debuted at No. 7 following the release of a new limited-edition 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc boxed set. The Greatest Showman dropped to No. 8, while Sony Pictures’ perennial charter Jumanji: The Next Level climbed 21 spots back to No. 9, and Universal’s Let Him Go rounded out the chart.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – May 5, 2021

Rank Previous
Week		 Title Distributor
1 1 Zack Snyder’s Justice League Warner
2 2 Wonder Woman 1984 Warner
3 Return Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Warner
4 New Blithe Spirit (2021) Universal
5 4 Joker Warner
6 New Judas & the Black Messiah Warner
7 New Battle Royale Arrow Films
8 5 The Greatest Showman 20th Century Home Entertainment
9 30 Jumanji: The Next Level Sony Pictures
10 8 Let Him Go Universal

© Official Charts Company 2021

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Bows No. 1 on U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

Warner’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League went straight to No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Film Chart of home entertainment releases through April 28 — driven by digital downloads only access.

The new release produced 9,000 unit sales ahead of its closest competition, fellow DCEU film and former six-week chart topper Wonder Woman 1984, at No. 2. Originally released in March on Sky Cinema, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is an extended cut of 2017 film Justice League and clocks in at a running time of four hours.

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Its release followed a long-running fan campaign to release the ‘Snyder Cut’ of Justice League after Joss Whedon took over directing the film’s theatrical version when Snyder departed following a family bereavement.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage comedy-horror Willy’s Wonderland (Signature Entertainment) debuted at No. 3. Cage stars as a janitor tricked into working at a condemned family fun amusement park, where he’s forced into a fight for survival against the center’s possessed animatronic mascots.

Warner’s Oscar-winner Joker landed at No. 4; The Greatest Showman (20th Century Home Entertainment) jumped seven spots to No. 5;and Disney/Pixar’s two-time Oscar winner Soul dropped four spots to No. 6. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner) fell to No. 7, while Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Let Him Go rose one spot to No. 8 in its second week of retail release.

At No. 9, cult slasher collection Urban Legend Trilogy (88 Films) made its debut following the release of a limited-edition Blu-ray Disc boxed set of Urban Legend, Urban Legends: Final Cut and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. Finally, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Spider-Man: Far From Home landed at No. 10.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – April 28, 2021

Rank Previous Week Title Studio
1 New Zach Snyder’s Justice League Warner
2 1 Wonder Woman 1984 Warner
3 New Willy’s Wonderland Signature Entertainment
4 3 Joker Warner
5 12 The Greatest Showman 20th Century
6 2 Soul Disney/Pixar
7 4 Godzilla- King of The Monsters Warner
8 9 Let Him Go Universal Pictures
9 New Urban Legend Trilogy 88 Films
10 6 Spider-Man: Far From Home Sony Pictures

 

‘Wonder Woman’ Holds Off ‘Godzilla’ on U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

Wonder Woman 1984 won another week (through April 14) atop the United Kingdom’s official home entertainment film chart following a tough battle with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Both titles helped Warner dominate the chart with seven-out-of-the-top-10 movies sold on digital and physical formats.

WW84 made it another big week for packaged media with majority sales across DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K UHD Blu-ray helping the movie stay No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week. The DC superheroine held off competition from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the biggest release on digital formats over the past seven days, following the release of Warner’s Godzilla vs. Kong on PVOD, seeing an uplift of 34% on the previous week’s digital figures.

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Disney and Pixar’s Soul dropped to No. 3, edging out Warner’s perennial charter Joker, which climbed 15 spots to No. 4, as Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Spider-Man: Far From Home finished No. 5.

The first in the Wizarding World series, Warner’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (known in America as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) jumped seven spots to No. 6, its highest ever placing on the Official Film Chart, and first time ever in the Top 10; Scoob! (Warner) fell to No. 7, while Harry Potter: The Complete Collection rose to No. 8.

Roald Dahl’s The Witches dropped one spot to No. 9, and Trolls World Tour finishes No. 10 after dropping four places.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – April, 14, 2021

Rank Previous Week Title Studio
1 1 Wonder Woman 1984 Warner
2 3 Godzilla: King of the Monsters Warner
3 2 Soul Disney
4 19 Joker Warner
5 4 Spider-Man: Far From Home Sony Pictures
6 13 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Warner
7 5 Scoob! Warner
8 10 Harry Potter: The Complete  Collection Warner
9 8 Roald Dahl’s The Witches Warner
10 6 Trolls World Tour DreamWorks Animation

© Official Charts Company 2021

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Tops Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

In her U.K. retail debut, Warner Home Video’s Wonder Woman 1984 finished atop the Official Film Chart through March 17 on digital download sales alone. Originally released on premium VOD in January due cinema closures, the Gal Gadot starrer was made available for digital download in the No. 2 home entertainment market on March 9.

The film dropped last week’s chart-topper Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) to No. 3, as Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Secret Garden finished No. 2. Warner’s Roald Dahl’s The Witches moved up three spots to No. 4, as 20th Century’s final chapter of the “Maze Runner” trilogy, Maze Runner: The Death Cure finished No. 5.

A second new entry in Top 10 came from Signature Entertainment’s Jiu Jitsu, which moved up five spots to No. 6. Alain Mussi and Nicolas Cage star in this sci-fi martial arts flick, which sees an amnesiac Jiu-Jitsu master battle to regain his memory and save mankind.

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Warner’s Birds of Prey dropped to No. 7, while Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame climbed two spots at No. 8. Sony Pictures’ Little Women moved up eight spots to No. 9, while Taron Egerton’s turn as Elton John returned to the Top 10 in Paramount Home Entertainment’s Rocket Man at No. 10.

Position Previous Week Title Peak
Position		 Weeks on Chart
1 New
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner)
 1 1
2 2
The Secret Garden (Universal)
 1 5
3 1 
Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures)
 1 69
4 7 
Roald Dahl’s The Witches (Warner)
 2 12
5 4 
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (20th Century)
 4 2
6 11 
Jiu-Jitsu (Signature Entertainment)
 6 4
7 6 
Birds of Prey (Warner)
 1 38
8 10 
Avengers: Endgame (Disney/Marvel)
 1 46
9 17 
Little Women (2019, Sony Pictures)
 5 41
10 12 
Rocket Man (Paramount)
 1 73

 

‘The Greatest Showman’ Returns Atop Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

Twentieth Century Studios (formerly Fox) Home Entertainment’s  The Greatest Showman enjoyed renewed popularity among consumers in the United Kingdom, returning atop the weekly Official Film Chart through Feb. 10 – for the first time in more than two years.

Notching up the highest digital sales tally of the week, the movie starring Hugh Jackman has sold more than 3.27 million combined discs and digital, and lays claim to the most weeks on the Top 40 in Film Chart history with 109 non-consecutive weeks, 32 of which have been spent in the Top 10.

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Meanwhile at No. 2 is this week’s highest new entry Saint Maud. This unnerving horror film stars Morfydd Clark as the eponymous nurse Maud, who makes it her purpose to save her terminally ill patient’s soul from eternal damnation. Flying back up the chart and landing at No. 3 is 1997 sci-fi classic The Fifth Element, while Godzilla: King of the Monsters (No. 4) continues to enjoy a stint in the Top 5 ahead of the release of Godzilla vs. Kong in theaters next month.

Black Panther zoomed up 24 spots this week to No. 6 following the release of a new Blu-ray Disc 4K Steelbook edition of the film. It lands just ahead of last week’s chart topper, Bill & Ted Face the Music at No. 7. Finally, Trolls World Tour rebounds into the Top 10 at No. 10, its highest chart placing since early December.

This week’s Official Film Chart online show features a preview of Alec Baldwin in Irish comedy-drama Pixie, available for download Feb. 15.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – Feb. 10, 2021

Rank Last Week
 Title Studio
1 2 The Greatest Showman 20th Century
2 New Saint Maud Studiocanal
3 Return The Fifth Element Studiocanal
4 3 Godzilla- King of the Monsters Warner
5 5 Roald Dahl’s The Witches Warner
6 30 Black Panther Disney/Marvel
7 1 Bill & Ted Face the Music Warner
8 7 Spider-Man: Far From Home  Sony Pictures
7 6 Tenet Warner
10 11 Trolls World Tour  Universal/DreamWorks

Netflix’s Taxes on the Rise in the U.K.

Netflix reportedly paid $4.4 million (£3.2 million) to HM Revenue & Customs in the U.K. in 2019, on revenue of $164 million (£120 million). It’s a major bill following years of tax avoidance in the famously tax aggressive country.

With around 13 million subscribers, the U.K. is Netflix’s No. 2 market following North America. The region has become a hotbed for content production, with the streamer spending in excess of $1 billion on programming in 2020. Netflix now operates three companies in the U.K., including Netflix Services U.K., Netflix Studios U.K., and Netflix Productions U.K. — underscoring the company’s push to legitimize its presence in the region.

The push to pay its fair share of taxes has taken baby steps. Until recently, Netflix lowered its U.K. taxes by paying subscription revenue through Netflix EMEA, based in Amsterdam, Holland. London-based research firm Ampere Analytics contends Netflix actual taxes in 2019 would have been around $34.1 million (£25 million) based on subscription revenue of $1.28 billion (£940 million).

Netflix last year announced its U.K. revenue and taxes going forward would be recognized in the U.K.

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“We are proud to be increasing our investment in the U.K.’s creative industries — spending over $1 billion in the U.K. on new, locally-made films, series and documentaries in 2020 alone, helping to create thousands of jobs and showcasing British storytelling and culture to the world,” a Netflix rep said in a media statement. “We pay all taxes required and are committed to playing an active role in supporting British production and creative talent for the long term.”

Netflix, which generated a $2.76 billion profit on $25 billion in revenue in 2020, allocated $437.9 million in taxes for the fiscal year — up from $195.3 million in 2019.

Warner’s ‘Tenet’ Atop first Official U.K. Film Chart of 2021

Warner Home Video’s Tenet held on to the No. 1 spot on home entertainment’s first Official Film Chart of 2021 in the U.K. The time-bending epic starring David Washington had more than double the unit sales (physical and digital) of its closest competition, Disney/Marvel’s The New Mutants at No. 2.

The New Mutants entered the chart as the highest new entry of the week on digital downloads only. A dark spin-off of the X-Men series, the superhero horror movie stars Maisie Williams and Anna Taylor-Joy.

Roald Dahl’s The Witches (Warner) dropped to No. 3, as festive classic Love Actually (Universal) held on for another week at No. 4. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Spider-Man: Far From Home re-entered the chart for the first time since October at No. 5. Bad Boys For Life (Sony) also returned to the Top 10, at No. 6, while Little Women (Sony) climbed to No. 7.

Last Christmas (Universal) dropped two places to No. 8, as Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) rose to No. 9, and Warner’s Birds of Prey finished at No. 10.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – Jan. 6, 2021

Rank Previous Week Title Studio
1 1 Tenet Warner
2 New The New Mutants Disney/Marvel Films
3 2 Roald Dahl’s The Witches Warner
4 4 Love Actually Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
5 Return Spider-Man: Far From Home Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
6 25 Bad Boys For Life SPHE
7 18 Little Women (2019) SPHE
8 6 Last Christmas UPHE
9 40 Jumanji: The Next Level SPHE
10 24 Birds of Paradise and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Warner

© Official Charts Company 2021

Warner’s ‘Elf’ Atop U.K. Home Entertainment Chart for Third Straight Week

Warner Home Video’s enduring 2003 catalog release Elf finished atop the Official Film Chart in the U.K. for the third consecutive week (ended Dec. 16) — driven by transactional VOD, which accounted for 75% of the title’s unit sales.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Last Christmas again finished No. 2, spurred by strong DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales. Separately, Universal’s holiday-themed releases The Grinch (No. 3) and Love Actually (No. 4) maintained their positions for another week.

Disney-owned 20th Century Home Entertainment’s Home Alone, and Warner’s The Polar Express moved up one spot, respectively at No. 5 and No. 6. Disney’s Mulan dropped two places to No. 7, while 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol entered the chart at No. 8 for the first time.

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Finally, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (20th Century) soared 20 places to No. 9, while Disney’s Frozen II climbed three places to round off the countdown at No. 10.

Rank Previous Week Title, Studio Peak
Pos.		 Week on Chart
1 1
Elf
Warner Home Video
 1 20
2 2
Last Christmas
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
 1 10
3 3
The Grinch
Universal
 2 17
4 4
Love Actually
Universal
 4 9
5 6 
Home Alone
20th Century Home Entertainment
 5 14
6 7 
The Polar Express
Warner
 6 17
7 5 
Mulan
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
 1 5
8 28 
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Jim Henson Video
 8 7
9 29 
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
20th Century Home Entertainment
 9 5
10 13 
Frozen II
Disney
 1 39

 

TikTok App Launching on Samsung Smart TVs

TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media video app, is coming to connected televisions for the first time. In a Dec. 14 announcement, TikTok said its app would be embedded in Samsung Smart TVs in the U.K., with further rollout across Europe planned in 2021. The deal does not include the U.S. for now. About 100 million Americans use the TikTok app on a monthly basis.

“The past year has dramatically changed the way we live, work and play,” Rich Waterworth, GM of the U.K. amd E.U. at TikTok, said in a statement. “More of us are spending time at home watching TV. This has led us to think about how we can bring the creativity and joy of TikTok to even more people across the U.K.”

Waterworth, a former executive at YouTube and ITV, said the app would not require registering an TikTok account. Viewers will have access to 12 content categories, including a portfolio of original content, including recipe hacks, comedy skits, and video challenges.

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The app will be available on all Samsung Smart TV models from 2018, which include 4K UHD and 8K TVs as well as Smart Monitor, The Premiere, The Frame and The Serif.

Warner’s ‘Elf’ Stands Tall Again on U.K. Home Entertainment Chart

Christmas is officially here, as Warner Home Video’s Elf stands tall at No. 1 on the Official Film Chart in the United Kingdom through Dec. 9, as the 2003 comedy with  Will Ferrell marks a second week atop the Top 10. The title added 30,000 unit sales, with 73% made up of digital downloads.

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Last Christmas improved one place to No. 2, just a few thousand sales behind, while the studio’s The Grinch inched closer to the top, rising five places to No. 3.

One of the U.K.’s most treasured Christmas flicks, Love Actually, entered the Top 10 for the first time, landing at No. 4, while Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan dropped three to No. 5. Home Alone (20th Century Home Entertainment) soared up 28 places to its highest peak yet of No. 6, and Warner’s The Polar Express climbed eight spots to No. 7. Sam Mendes’ critically acclaimed World War I drama 1917 dropped one place to No. 8.

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A Christmas Gift From Bob — the sequel to 2016’s feel-good biographical film A Street Cat Named Bob — debuted at No. 9 following its release on disc by Lionsgate U.K. Finally, a 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc release from Warner of the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy entered the Official Film Chart for the first time at No. 10.

The Official Film Chart Top 10 – Dec. 9, 2020

Rank Previous Week
 Title Studio
1 1 Elf Warner
2 3 Last Christmas Universal
3 8 The Grinch Universal
4 11 Love Actually Universal
5 2 Mulan (2020)
 Disney
6 34 Home Alone Disney/20th Century
7 15 The Polar Express Warner
8 7 1917 Entertainment One
9 New A Christmas Gift From Bob Lionsgate U.K.
10 New The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Warner

© Official Charts Company 2020