The total box office for September was £60,087,624. This is 21% ahead of the equivalent four weeks in September 2023. Year to date, we are now tracking 10% behind 2023, an improvement from -15% at the start of August.

Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” dominated the September box office, maintaining its No.1 position for four consecutive weeks. Warner’s sequel opened with £7.3m, achieving the fifth-biggest opening of the year so far and the fifth-biggest September opening of all time. With a current total of £21.6m, it is the sixth-biggest release for the year so far ahead of “It Ends With Us” (£21.5m) and “Migration” (£21.4m), and only 2% behind “Kung Fu Panda 4” (£22.1m). The original “Beetlejuice” released in 1988, achieving a lifetime total of £3.6m.

Universal’s “Speak No Evil” held its position at No.2 for three consecutive weeks following its £1.4m debut. James Watkins’ horror release has a total of £4.3m to date, making it the fourth-highest release in its genre this year, overtaking “Trap” (£3.8m) and behind “Longlegs” (£8.0m), “A Quiet Place: Day One” (£9.8m), and “Alien: Romulus” (£13.3m). The title also ranks as the director’s second-biggest release, ahead of 2016’s “Bastille Day” (£1.9m) and only behind 2012’s “The Woman In Black” (£21.3m).

Another September release, “Lee,” charts at No.3 with £3.1m. The Kate Winslet-led biopic is just outside the Top 10 British films released this year, ranking at No.11, only 10% behind “The Zone Of Interest” (£3.4m).

A re-release of “Prima Facie – NT Live 2022” is at No.4 for the month, with a reissue total of £2.5m. Jodie Comer’s one-woman play is still the highest-grossing theatre broadcast of all time with £5.4m on its original release, behind only concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (£12.2m) among Event Cinema releases (excluding Secret Cinema).

Last month’s top title “Deadpool & Wolverine” is at No.5, adding a further £2.1m for September. Shawn Levy’s sequel has a total to date of £57.4m to rank at No.32 in the all-time chart, ahead of “The Dark Knight Rises” (£56.4m) and “Dunkirk” (£56.8m), and tracking marginally behind “Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers” (£57.6m) and “Joker” (£58.2m).

Another strong holdover follows at No.6, with “It Ends With Us” adding a further £2.0m for the month. Justin Baldoni’s picture has £21.5m to date, surpassing “Migration” (£21.4m) to sit as the seventh-biggest title of the year so far. The romantic drama ranks among the Top 20 titles of its genre, placing at No.17, ahead of 2015’s “Cinderella” (£21.3m) and just behind 2010’s “Sex And The City 2” (£21.6m).

After twelve weeks on release “Despicable Me 4” also held its position in the September chart, sitting at No.7 and adding £1.8m. Illumination’s sequel has a total gross of £47.4m, continuing the animated franchise’s consistent performance, almost on par with “Despicable Me 2” (£47.5m) and “Despicable Me 3” (£47.8m).

“The Substance” is at No.8 with a gross of £1.8m after two weeks on release. Playing in 522 locations the horror picture is the widest release for MUBI, as well as the distributor’s third-biggest release of all time with only “Aftersun” (£1.8m) and “Priscilla” (£3.2m) having grossed more for the distributor.

At No.9 is “Alien: Romulus” with £1.7m for the month. Fede Alvarez’s horror picture has a lifetime total of £13.3m maintaining its position as the highest-grossing horror release of 2024.

Closing the chart at No.10 is Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton’s thriller “The Critic” with a total for the month of £1.3m.

October Preview

October begins with Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie A Deux” (Warner) starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga opening today (4th), followed by animated family adventure “Buffalo Kids” (Warner) previews this Saturday & Sunday, before its wide release on the following Friday. Alongside this we have a variety of titles also opening on 11th: an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel “Salem’s Lot” (Warner), horror sequel “Terrifier 3” (Signature), and family animation “Transformers One” (Paramount), as well as the re-issue from Studiocanal of “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” ahead of the release of the third instalment “Paddington In Peru” on 8th November. The following weekend also offers a diverse choice of titles: Donald Trump’s biographical drama “The Apprentice” (Studiocanal), the fourth instalment of “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” (Sony), the horror sequel “Smile 2” (Paramount), and DreamWorks animation “The Wild Robot” (Universal), all opening on 18th. The month closes with Tom Hardy’s third Marvel sequel “Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony) opening on 25th.