Carl Roberts 
This week on The Official Chart, we return to Downton Abbey, and we decide to Get Carter, but nothing can stop those Fantastic Beasts from holding the top spot again!
Welcome to The Official Film Chart.
ELVIS IS NOW AVAILABLE TO RENT AND BUY ON DIGITAL!
The Australian director Baz Luhrmann hardly ever delivers a bad movie. And his streak continues with ‘Elvis’, which is now available to rent and buy on digital (Read our review here). It costs £15.99 to rent the film or £19.99 to buy it early. The movie follows the king of rock and roll from his early days through to his untimely death in 1977. Austin Butler delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Elvis Presley with Tom Hanks delivering yet another great performance as his long-time manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Now, the film runs for two hours and forty minutes. Almost two hours of the film are incredible. But sadly, the opening 40 mins or so drag the film down with some uninspired musical decisions and skipping over a huge chunk of Elvis’ younger days. But those remaining two hours are more than enough for the film to become a must-own. Butler is incredible, recreating some of Elvis’ greater moments right down to the sweat on his head. And that alone is enough to qualify the film as an essential purchase.
THE OFFICIAL CHART
Once again, the chart throws a few surprises our way. We have two new entries on the chart this week. And one of them is perhaps one of the greatest British films ever made. But to make way for these newcomers, we have to bid farewell to ‘Top Gun’, and ‘Morbius.’ But what is sitting pretty at the top of the chart? Is it still occupied by wizards and beasts? Has the top returned from the Multiverse? Or has something else decided to take the thunderous applause at the top instead? Grab your bags of tricks, it’s time to find out.
THE FANTASTIC BEASTS WORK THEIR MAGIC AGAIN!
For a third non-consecutive week, the official UK number one title is ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore.’ (Read our review here.) The film, the third in the Wizarding World series and the eleventh entry into the Harry Potter universe manages to hold its position thanks to strong sales on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K against its closest competition. Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander alongside Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, and Mads Mikkelsen, replacing Johnny Depp as Grindelwald.
The movie seems to have struck a chord on the home entertainment front, seemingly having a better performance than it did at the cinema. The film is the lowest grossing of the three films made and has possibly dealt a death blow to the plans of a five-film saga. But fans are lapping it up so anything is possible with regards to continuing the series.
A NEW ERA DAWNS AT NUMBER TWO!
Our first new entry into the chart lands in the second position. Thanks to digital downloads alone, we welcome ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ into the chart. The sequel to the original Downton Abbey movie and another big-screen take of the classic ITV series, it once again features Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, and Dame Maggie Smith among the series regulars.
This time, Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, astonishes the family by revealing that years ago she was gifted a villa in the South of France by the Marquis de Montmirail. Meanwhile, a film production company wants to use Downton to shoot a silent film called “The Gambler”. This leads to all sorts of unrest and upsets amongst the occupants of Downton. The film was critically praised once again, and fans of the series and the first film will enjoy everything on offer here.
Credit: Ben Blackall / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC
DOCTOR STRANGE REMAINS IN THE MULTIVERSE OF THIRD PLACE!
Holding firm in the third position this week, we find Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen once again. Their film ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ (Read our review here) refuses to budge. The film takes place after the events of the Disney+ show ‘WandaVision’ and showcases Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch as the villain of the piece. Although it isn’t the best Marvel film of them all, it is a marked improvement over ‘Eternals.’ With Sam Raimi as director, the film contains some scenes that younger viewers may find frightening and upsetting. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the film is a two-hour-long rollercoaster ride that does throw up some genuine surprises along the way.
THE BATMAN KEEPS WATCHING FROM FOURTH PLACE!
The Dark Knight continues to watch over Gotham City and the top ten chart from the fourth position. The Matt Reeves-directed comic book movie ‘The Batman’ (Read our review here) continues to sell well on all formats. The film opened to great fanfare and box office business back in March and has impressed much of the world. Robert Pattinson is terrific as Batman, while Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffery Wright, and Colin Farrell offer great support. Again, I disagree with those who say it’s the best Batman film of them all but can’t help but acknowledge that the film is a masterful take on the source material. It is much darker than ever and the switch from superhero movie to detective noir is inspired. And Michael Giacchino’s score is superb.
THE LOST CITY IS LOST AT THE HALFWAY POINT!
Dropping three places to round out this week’s top five titles is the highly enjoyable ‘The Lost City’ (Read our review here). The film, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and a cameoing Brad Pitt is the perfect Saturday night entertainment. Although at times it feels like a remake of Romancing The Stone, the film does enough to keep us all interested and entertained for two hours. Bullock and Tatum make for a great comedic pairing, Radcliffe is all smarmy charm as the typical English villain, while Pitt once again shows us his action hero chops. It does get slightly predictable towards the end but the entire movie is good, clean (mostly) fun for the whole family.
SING 2 CONTINUES TO CROON!
We begin our look at the bottom five placings with ‘Sing 2’ which rises a place to sixth. The animated sequel has been in or around the top ten placings ever since it was released to buy on all formats. The extras that are available on the digital and Blu-ray releases are more than enough to keep the smaller ones occupied and entertained over the summer holidays.
DUNE DRIFTS UP A PLACE!
Another film that moves up by a single place this week is the science fiction epic ‘Dune.’ The Oscar-laden movie from Denis Villeneuve continues its success inside the top ten charts. The sequel, ‘Dune Part Two’ is currently filming ahead of a November 2023 release. The film remains an epic in every sense of the word.
SPIDER-MAN WON’T GO HOME!
He’s continuing to web his way in the chart. But he has been washed out slightly this week as ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ falls two places to end the week in the eighth spot. The film is the best of the standalone movies for the Marvel character. And that isn’t only due to the amazing return of some of the villains from the entire range of Spider-Man films. Or the return of Tobey McGuire and Andrew Garfield. It is due to Tom Holland’s superb performance as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man. Holland is perfectly cast in the role and it has been rumored that he will again pull on the outfit in a fourth outing as the web-crawler.
THE TOP TEN DECIDES TO GET CARTER!
Our second and final new entry for this week enters in ninth place. And it is one of the best British films of all time. Thanks to its release on Blu-ray and 4K UHD, after it was remastered by the BFI from the original negative, it is time for us to ‘Get Carter.’ The film is a 1971 crime thriller starring Michael Caine. And is sheer brilliance and perfection from the start. Caine plays Jack Carter, a gangster who is returning to Newcastle to investigate the death of his brother. The film is violent, and nasty and contains one of the most surprising endings in British movie history. Throw in Roy Budd’s amazing score, including the much-loved opening theme and you have something classic that demands grabbing hold of with both hands. A bonafide classic.
THE NORTHMAN’S QUEST IS COMING TO AN END!
And finally, falling five places to end the week in the tenth and final position is the Viking revenge epic ‘The Northman.’ Robert Eggers’s film, starring Alexander Skarsgard in the title role looks set to depart us next week as it hangs over the chart exit door.
END OF THE LINE!
That’s your lot for this week, my friends. Another week has gone flying past once more. But the titles that are currently making up the top ten are more than enough to keep us all entertained. While we await release dates for the likes of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ to be announced, we can be assured that the quality of home entertainment won’t dip. With that in mind, and until next week…
Whatever you decide, whatever you buy, stay safe, be kind, look after each other, and happy viewing!
Anyone wishing to buy any of the titles featured in The Official Film Chart can do so via FindAnyFilm.com. All videos and information have been supplied by Find Any Film and used under authorization.
Future of the Force News Editor, Liverpool F.C fan, Halloween Movie Fan, Friday The 13th movies fan, Star Wars Fan, Star Trek Fan.
