UK Box Office July 24-26: Joy for INSIDE OUT, Solid debut for SOUTHPAW

Finally opening in the UK, Inside Out opened higher than Frozen, Brave, Big Hero 6 & Monsters University - Pixar are truly back...with a bang! Also opening within the top 5 was Southpaw which surprised and debuted at number 4.

Further down the chart, there were no other new entries but Empire Strikes Back returned to the top 10.

Here is the top 10:
1. Inside Out - $11.49 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $11.49 million
2. Ant-Man - $3.93 million - Week 2 - Down 37% - Total: $14.99 million
3. Minions - $3.53 million - Week 5 - Down 16% - Total: $57.78 million
4. Southpaw - $2.59 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $2.59 million
5. Jurassic World - $1.56 million - Week 7 - Down 11% - Total: $95.81 million
6. Ted 2 - $1.14 million - Week 3 - Down 56% - Total: $13.64 million
7. Terminator Genisys - $764,641 - Week 4 - Down 64% - Total: $16.13 million
8. Bajrangi Bhaijaan - $635,175 - Week 2 - Down 46% - Total: $2.67 million
9. Empire Strikes Back - $475,089 - Week 8 - RE-ENTRY - Total: $4.69 million
10. Magic Mike XXL - $430,233 - Week 4 - Down 47% - Total: $9.87 million

The top 10 made $26.55 million this week. This is up 25.69% on last weekend and is up 61.73% on the same time frame last year.

Ant-Man didn't reign for long as another animation look the number 1 spot this week - Inside Out - the acclaimed Pixar animation took in $11.49 million this weekend which is way ahead of previous Pixar entries Brave and Monsters University. This is also above mega hit Frozen and the recent Big Hero 6 - Inside Out opened on par with Maleficent. I'd expect Inside Out to have very strong legs with its rave reviews (98% on Rotten Tomatoes) and no animation competition for the rest of the summer. Inside Out could hit $40 million.

Even though it didn't reign for a second week, AntMan managed to slip just 37% which is remarkable for a popcorn flick. AntMan took in $3.93 million this weekend which is very good. The superhero pic has now taken in $14.99 million in the UK - $20 million is a lock, it will be interesting to see how far AntMan can go from there - with strong reviews, $35 million could be likely.

Surprisingly, Minions dropped just 16% this weekend despite another major animation opening. Minions took in $3.53 million this weekend and will likely swap places with AntMan next weekend. Minions has now grossed $57.78 million in the UK. It has already passed Despicable Me and will probably close with around $65-70 million, just below Despicable Me 2.

Opening with a surprisingly strong debut this weekend was Southpaw - the film took in $2.59 million which is very strong for a film that has been marketed as quite an independent film with awards appeal. Southpaw has had middling reviews (sitting just below 60% on Rotten Tomatoes) but very strong word of mouth - 8.0/10 on IMDB. SouthPaw will probably close with around $7-8 million but truly has a shot at breaking $10 million.

Staying in the top 5 for its 7th week, Jurassic World dropped just 11% this week which is once again, fantastic! The film took in $1.56 million which brings its new UK total to $95.81 million. I truly believe that Jurassic World will break $100 million before the end of its run - this is truly a monster of a movie!

6. Ted 2 - A mother terrible hold for this comedy flick - goodbye Ted 3! . Prediction : $15.8-17 million

7. Terminator Genisys - The steepest drop on the chart, Terminator may breakeven - will the sequel go ahead? . Prediction: $17-19 million

8. Bajrangi Bhaijaan - Surprisingly staying in the chart for a second week, the foreign movie clearly has a strong appeal . Prediction: $3-4 million.

9. Empire Strikes Back - Returning to the top 10, the Empire is back! . Prediction: $5-6 million

10. Magic Mike XXL - Another reasonably solid hold for the sequel. . Prediction: $10.3-11.2 million.

Source: Rentrak

Look out for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5 and HOT PURSUIT next weekend!

See You Soon!