In the UK, Dunkirk has opened at the top end of any reasonable expectations with a very robust £10.02m from a whopping 638 cinemas.
That cinema count is higher than for the opening frames of current summer blockbusters such as War for the Planet of the Apes, Spider‑Man: Homecoming, Despicable Me 3 and Wonder Woman.
Director Christopher Nolan’s latest war film, Dunkirk of course, is a $150 million epic that captures historical moments in May 1940, in the early days of World War II, some 400,000 British and Allied troops were flanked and entrapped by Germany on the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France.
Like popular Dutch beer, Dunkirk has refreshed the parts that other films cannot reach, playing across the multiplexes and boutique cinema chains, and also at key indie cinemas that traditionally don’t play Hollywood blockbusters worldwide.
Dunkirk has achieved the fourth biggest opening of 2017, behind Beauty and the Beast, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Despicable Me 3. (Fast and Furious 8 was also seemingly bigger, but its debut number was boosted by significant previews.)
Top 10 films, 21‑23 July
1. Dunkirk, £10,023,720 from 638 sites (new)
2. Despicable Me 3, £3,082,983 from 645 sites. Total: £30,319,469 (three weeks)
3. War for the Planet of the Apes, £2,714,119 from 612 sites. Total: £12,667,484 (two weeks)
4. Spider‑Man: Homecoming, £2,183,542 from 565 sites. Total: £21,072,253 (three weeks)
5. Cars 3, £1,636,488 from 581 sites. Total: £5,072,811 (two weeks)
6. André Rieu’s 2017 Maastricht Concert, £1,439,604 from 546 sites (new)
7. Baby Driver, £686,111 from 472 sites. Total: £10,080,214 (four weeks)
8. The Beguiled, £140,861 from 216 sites. Total: £853,566 (two weeks)
9. The Black Prince, £81,451 from 34 sites (new)
10. Wonder Woman, £77,375 from 104 sites. Total: £21,929,201 (eight weeks)
Source: Forbes Magazine
