This week – fresh off the back of winning two Oscars Joker laughs all the way to the number one spot as Downton Abbey loses its shine and slips down a place
Greetings! Welcome once again to the official UK top ten countdown of exactly what the British public is lapping up on the home entertainment front. We are starting to see some of the big titles from the back end of last year emerge onto all formats and as such, the chart is seeing some pretty big movies land in the top ten. Sadly though, this means we see some of our favourite titles drop out. This week is no exception as we say a fond adieu to ‘Hustlers‘ and ‘Angel Has Fallen‘ as two new entries make their way into the positions they vacate. And, as we have come to expect now, a different film takes the top spot once ahead of its physical release this past Monday and buoyed by its Oscar nominations that landed it two awards this past Sunday evening. In fact, four films that were awarded Oscar glory are in this weeks chart. Let’s find out how they fared.
Laughing his way up one place and managing to get what he f*****g deserves as he giggles his way into the number one spot comes two time Oscar winner ‘Joker‘. The film won two awards, one for best score and of course, Joaquin Phoenix took home a much deserved Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of the main character. The film, as I’ve said many times before, is a worthy winner of the awards it has garnered over the past few months and with Oscar glory behind it, the film will receive a major boost to its fortunes after it’s release on the disc format this Monday just past.
RELATED: Review | Joker
As one film rises to take the top spot, another must move down and so ‘Downton Abbey‘ slips a single place to finish the week at the number two position. The big-screen adaptation of the much-loved TV show has made its money many times over after its success at the cinema and again on its emergence onto the home format. A sequel is already in the planning stage so expect to see the household and their guests return sometime soon.
RELATED: Review | Downton Abbey
Rising five places to sing her way into the third position on this weeks chart, we can’t help but be in awe as Best Actress Oscar winner Renee Zellweger entertains us all in ‘Judy‘. Once again, the award that Ms Zellweger received was totally warranted as her performance, like Joaquin Phoenix’s in ‘Joker’ was a complete powerhouse in acting terms and was completely deserved. The film can’t quite live up to the star’s majestic performance but is a worthy watch nonetheless and must be seen to see Ms Zellweger’s masterclass in bringing the late Judy Garland back into the public eye once more.
Blasting its way into the chart and battling its way into the fourth position is Will Smith and his science fiction/action blockbuster ‘Gemini Man‘, based on downloads alone. The film, in which Smith’s character, an assassin, has to fight off a younger and faster clone of himself, was expected to be a box office success story, considering the film was directed by academy award-winning director, Ang Lee. Strangely, this didn’t prove to be the case as the film didn’t hit the heights it was expected too. And that’s a shame as, even though it does have its faults, the film is a rather entertaining and engaging action thriller, aided with a typically slimy villain in the form of Clive Owen. It may not be Smith’s best film but it’s certainly worthy of a purchase and a watch or two.
RELATED: Book Review | Gemini Man: The Art And Making Of The Movie
Coming in from the alps to greet us as he makes his chart debut and rounding out this week’s top five biggest selling movies is ‘Abominable‘. The charming animated tale of a girl who discovers a yeti on top of her home and undertakes a quest to get him back to his family is a charming and entertaining tale for families everywhere. It will keep younger children entertained easily and their parents can chuckle along with them for the perfect family evening in each others company.
Slipping down the chart three places after its re-entry into the chart last week comes Brad Pitt and his sci-fi drama ‘Ad Astra‘. The film dropped out from the chart for a week while Mega Movies Week was on but managed to return last week into the third-place position. And speaking of Brad Pitt…
‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood‘ slips two places to become this week’s number seven best selling movie. The film managed to grab itself two awards at the Oscars this past Sunday including, finally, a Best Supporting Actor statuette for Brad Pitt himself, again something that was overdue and totally deserved. The Quentin Tarantino directed film, possibly the director’s masterpiece continues to reside inside the top ten and could possibly receive a boost after the weekend’s awards event.
His guns have run out of ammunition, his knife has gone blunt and his explosives are but a damp squib as ‘Rambo: Last Blood‘ tumbles four places down the chart to fight his way to an eighth-placed finish. The apparently final movie for the Sylvester Stallone character was the most critically reviled of the franchise but despite being a box office fizzle, managed to make its money on the home entertainment front. The film is probably going to fall from the chart over the next two weeks and as for it being the final ‘Rambo’ film? All I shall say is I will believe it when I see it!
RELATED: Review | Rambo: Last Blood
Dropping three places to land at this week’s number nine but is still standing after all this time is Sir Elton John biopic ‘Rocketman‘. The film has hung around the chart for quite a while now and many would expect it to depart sometime soon. However, after the legendary rocker won the Oscar for Best Original Song on Sunday evening, the film could reignite its fortunes and jump back up the chart again.
Rounding out the top ten movies this week and falling three places as it stops floating and loses its balloons comes Stephen King sequel ‘IT: Chapter Two‘. It’s probable that Pennywise the dancing clown won’t be dancing in the top ten in next week’s chart.
If you head over to The Future Of The Force’s YouTube channel or any of the social media platforms, you will discover a sneak peek at the upcoming release of ‘Terminator: Dark Fate‘. Now, here’s the thing. The film belly-flopped quite badly at the worldwide box office so you would assume that the film is once again, terrible and an insult to the original two movies. Let me tell you now that nothing could be further from the truth. While it may not be in the same class as the original film or it’s sequel (Let’s face it, nothing will top that) but it is a highly enjoyable, entertaining, violent and completely decent ‘Terminator‘ film and is the ‘Terminator 3‘ that we should have got years ago. If you put the first two movies and this one back to back, you’d have an extremely decent trilogy. Be warned though. Arnold Schwarzenegger has second billing in the credits for a reason. Don’t watch it expecting him to be the main character because, apart from a CGI cameo at the start of the film, he doesn’t appear until roughly halfway through the movie. But when he does, the film really starts to fly high.
So now, it’s over once again to you. Will Oscar success make sure ‘Joker‘ laughs at the rest as it stays at number one? Will ‘Judy‘ sing her way to the summit? Will ‘Gemini Man‘ double up and storm the top of the chart? Or will ‘Abominable‘ chill us out as he climbs up to the top of the peak?
Whatever you decide, whatever you buy, happy viewing!
You can buy any of the titles featured in the Top 10 via https://www.findanyfilm.com/VideoChart
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
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Editor’s Note: All videos and information have been supplied by Find Any Film and used under authorisation.
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
