M. Night Shyamalan's Glass smashes straight to number 1 with a strong $4.42 million while Mary Queen of Scots opens in second with a solid $2.69 million. The other releases held generally well this weekend with The Favourite's 43.7% decline being the steepest. Box office takings are up 1.3%.

Here are the top 10 films this week!
1. Glass - $4.42 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $4.42 million
2. Mary Queen of Scots - $2.69 million - Week 1 - NEW - Total: $2.69 million
3. Stan & Ollie - $2.31 million - Week 2 - Down 30.2% - Total: $7.86 million
4. Mary Poppins Returns - $2.15 million - Week 5 - Down 25.7% - Total: $52.49 million
5. The Favourite - $1.44 milliom - Week 3 - Down 43.7% - Total: $14.36 million
6. Aquaman - $930,621 - Week 6 - Down 41.4% - Total: $27.65 million
7. Bumblebee - $819,909 - Week 4 - Down 37.1% - Total: $14.97 million
8. Bohemian Rhapsody - $813,641 - Week 13 - Down 37.4% - Total: $65.93 million
9. Ralph Breaks the Internet - $674,767 - Week 8 - Down 18.7% - Total: $22.30 million
10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - $648,105 - Week 6 - Down 16.0% - Total: $11.98 million

The Winner
$4.42 million may seem like a lukewarm opening for a film that has been heavily hyped and marketed yet Glass' debut is bigger than the opening weekends of Split ($3.13m) and Unbreakable ($3.29m). Glass also marks the series' second #1 opening - Split was unable to beat La La Land. This is also M Night Shyamalan's fourth chart-topping film in the UK - Glass joins After Earth, Signs and Unbreakable. It had been almost six years since Shyamalan last hit #1 so Glass really does suggest that he is back on top. Unlike Split and Unbreakable, Glass will probably see steep declines in the coming weeks. Its scathing reviews could keep audiences away and a second-week drop above 60% would not be surprising. Glass should be able to crawl towards $10 million. Shyamalan's surprise sequel shouldn't be dismissed so quickly as Split managed to gross $14 million; it would be an unbelievable plot twist but Glass has the potential to hit $15 million. Glass' opening is the second biggest of 2019 so far, coming behind The Favourite's $5.06 million. However, it should be noted that The Favourite did have an inflated debut because of a clever release strategy, technically making Glass's $4.42 million the biggest Friday-Sunday opening gross of 2019 so far. Currently, Glass can be cautiously named a hit for Shyamalan, its cast, Universal and Buena Vista (yes, Disney distributed a 'horror' film). However, Glass' box office narrative could change as quickly as Shyamalan drops a plot twist.

The New Entries
Aside from Glass, the only film to debut in the top ten was Mary Queen of Scots. The Margot Robbie/Saoirse Ronan period drama grossed $2.69 million this weekend, placing it at #2. This is an impressive start for such a small-scale film that has no major awards buzz and has had a mixed response from critics (63% on Rotten Tomatoes). Queen of Scots did receive three BAFTA nominations (Supporting Actress, Makeup/Hair, Costume Design) and two Oscar nominations (Makeup/Hair, Costume Design) - wins in any of those categories would help the film's longevity. It probably helped that Mary Queen of Scots tells the story of a Scottish figure, Mary Stuart; if there was any territory that this film was guaranteed to perform solidly, it was the UK. Mary Queen of Scots almost outperformed the opening weekends of I, Tonya ($1.47m) and Lady Bird ($1.25m) combined! This shows increased audience interest in the film's leads, Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan. Another factor could be that Queen of Scots had a wider release than I, Tonya and Lady Bird (499 locations vs 318/183 locations). It is difficult to predict how Mary Queen of Scots will perform from here onwards. It might not have the same buzz as The Favourite but the film's underrepresented Scottish setting could boost its week-on-week numbers. It should finish with between $6.5-$10 million. Mary Queen of Scots could literally become the Queen of the Scots.

Since the trailer debuted, Margot Robbie's casting has been closely compared against Cate Blanchett's portrayal of the character in 1998's Elizabeth. That film went on to receive seven Oscar nominations (including a win for Best Makeup) and grossed $9 million in the UK. If Mary Queen of Scots does finish close to $10 million, it would appear that this historical period and figure is just as bankable 20 years later.

The Biggest Drop
For the past few weeks, films with relatively strong holds have been harshly labelled "The Biggest Drop" because every release is performing well. Last week it was Mary Poppins Returns, this week The Favourite's 43.7% decline is the steepest. In its third week, the period comedy dropped from #2 to #5 and earnt $1.44 million, bringing its UK total to $14.36 million. The Favourite remains the highest grossing film of 2019. The film received ten Oscar nominations on Tuesday including nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actress (x2). This should undoubtedly revitalize how The Favourite performs next weekend. Originally it seemed like the film was going to close with $13-15 million but seemingly optimistic predictions ($20 million +/-) are starting to appear realistic.

The Best Holdover
Stan & Ollie, Mary Poppins Returns, Bumblebee and Bohemian Rhapsody all dropped less than 40%. One of these films would have been named "The Best Holdover" any other weekend. However, both Ralph Breaks the Internet and Spider-Man: Into the Spiver-Verse dropped less than 20%! Ralph fell 18.7% while Spider-Verse declined by just 16%. These are incredible holds for films that are so far into their release periods. Both animated flicks received Oscar nominations this week which should certify them as must-see films for families (if there positive reviews hadn't already). Ralph has grossed $22.3 million in the UK so far ($0.67m this weekend) while Spider-Verse has garnered $11.98 million ($0.65m this weekend). Despite strong holds, both films have underperformed - Wreck-it Ralph made $36.2 million in the UK and Spider-Verse's total is well below most mainstream animated features. Neither film can be labelled as a win for their respective studios but it is reassuring to see that they are continuing to make up ground this many weeks down the line. There isn't a major family release until How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World on February 1st so Ralph and Spider-Man have one more weekend to make as much money as possible.


Source: ComScore

Next week, The Mule, Vice, A Dog's Way Home and Second Act will compete for the UK's money. How will Glass and Mary Queen of Scots fair in their second weekends?