Audiences rushed to see Stan & Ollie this weekend as the biopic opened in first place to a solid $3.31 million. The Favourite continues its impressive run just 8% behind Laurel and Hardy. Further down this week's box office chart, Colette and The Upside finished in seventh and eighth respectively.

Here are the top 10 films this week!
1. Stan & Ollie - $3.31 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $3.31 million
2. The Favourite - $3.06 million - Week 2 - Down 39.4% - Total: $10.66 million
3. Mary Poppins Returns - $2.90 million - Week 4 - Down 48.8% - Total: $49.08 million
4. Aquaman - $1.59 million - Week 5 - Down 32.8% - Total: $25.92 million
5. Bumblebee - $1.30 million - Week 3 - Down 41.1% - Total: $13.71 million
6. Bohemian Rhapsody - $1.30 million - Week 12 - Up 40.8% - Total: $64.13 million
7. Colette - $1.01 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $1.01 million
8. The Upside - $875,004 - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $875,004
9. Ralph Breaks the Internet - $830,431 - Week 7 - Down 41.2% - Total: $21.45 million
10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - $771,576 - Week 5 - Down 31.0% - Total: $11.08 million

The Winner
Move over Mary Poppins Returns, the iconic comedy duo Stan & Ollie stole the show this weekend, opening in first place with $3.31 million. While the number 1 debut is impressive, $3.31 million may be a softer win than expected. It could be argued that a British biopic about two Hollywood legends should have been bigger, especially after The Favourite was able to gross more than $5 million during its opening weekend. Stan & Ollie has had great reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) but has failed to attract much awards attention. However, BAFTA did nominate the film for Outstanding British Film, Best Leading Actor and Best Make-Up/Hair. It is possible that the UK will rally behind Stan & Ollie - it should have strong word-of-mouth and will definitely play well with older audiences in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how Stan & Ollie fairs when faced with Mary Queen of Scots this coming weekend.

The New Entries
Both Colette and The Upside opened in around 300 locations this weekend - a fairly limited release. Colette topped The Upside by 13%. Debuting at number 7, Keira Knightley's Colette grossed a smidge above $1 million this weekend. Colette relied on Knightley's star power and its box office takings are in-line with the last films that Knightley solely fronted - Begin Again opened with $780,000, Anna Karenina debuted with $1.4 million and The Duchess impressed with $2.58 million. While Colette's debut is softer than some of Knightley's bigger hits, this $1 million+ weekend shows there is still an audience who will pay to see Knightley on the silver screen. With minimal marketing, competition from Stan & Ollie and zero awards buzz (despite good reviews), Colette's opening weekend certainly isn't a loss for Lionsgate. Knightley-led dramas tend to have longevity so $5 million should not be unreachable for Colette's final UK gross.

Colette's smaller opening may have redeeming qualities but things aren't as positive for The Upside. Aside from the film having a respectable per-theatre-average, a $875,000 debut for a film starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman is disappointing. Thankfully, The Upside was a hit stateside otherwise STX Entertainment would have released yet another dud. This was a fairly crowded weekend for older audiences and with Stan & Ollie, Colette and The Upside to choose from, they are likely to gravitate towards the films with strong reviews - The Upside's rotten 40% approval rating couldn't compete. The Upside's target audience is also vague - Kevin Hart is a mismatch with the older audience and the current controversy surrounding his persona probably didn't do him any favours. When looking at this trio's most recent films, - Hart's Night School opened with $2 million in September 2018, Cranston's The Infiltrator grossed $480,000 in July 2016 and Kidman's The Beguiled debuted with $540,000 in July 2017 - it becomes clear that UK audiences aren't overly keen to rush to the cinema to see them on the big screen; The Upside's $875,000 opening suddenly makes sense. It is hard to predict The Upside's future - it could have strong legs, but it could also be swallowed by Glass and Mary Queen of Scots next weekend.

The Biggest Drop
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Mary Poppins Returns spent three weeks topping the UK box office but finds itself with the biggest decline this weekend. Poppins drops 48.8% to $2.9 million, finishing in third place. A 48.8% drop actually isn't awful - it is unfortunate that the other films held so well and Poppins finds itself in this category. However, a 48.8% drop also doesn't suggest that the film will thrive for as long as initially thought - the film's drops are getting bigger each week. That being said, this decline is smaller than Beauty and the Beast's fourth-weekend drop (-59.1%) and about the same as Into the Woods' (-45.2%). Unless Poppins continues to fall at this rate (or worse), it should be around for quite a while. Luckily for Disney, Mary Poppins Returns has grossed $49 million in a little under a month and should come close to $60 million by the end of its UK run. Poppins is currently the UK's eighth biggest film of 2018 and will likely climb to sixth in the coming weeks.

The Best Holdover
Continuing its impressive run, Bohemian Rhapsody increases by a stellar 40.8% in its twelfth weekend. Rhapsody grossed $1.3 million and was inches away from returning to the top five. The Queen biopic has now totalled over $64 million in the UK. This makes it the country's fifth biggest film of 2018 (it has the potential to go higher). Rhapsody was likely boosted by big wins at the Golden Globes and seven BAFTA nominations. If The Academy recognises Bohemian Rhapsody on January 22nd, there will be an even bigger curiosity factor. Despite lukewarm reviews, Bohemian Rhapsody has been positioned as a film that audiences need to see.


Source: ComScore

Next week, Glass and Mary Queen of Scots will joust it out for the top spot in what should be a very competitive weekend at the UK Box Office. Will either film post the biggest opening of the year so far?