Carl Roberts 
This week on The Official Film Chart, fans pay tribute to Olivia Newton-John, and the chart gets some Heat, but it is Sonic The Hedgehog who races back to take the top spot!
Welcome to The Official Film Chart.
*STOP PRESS* TOP GUN: MAVERICK IS TO BE RELEASED ON DIGITAL NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Just when you think you’ve reported all that needs to be, one piece of news blows it all to pieces. But when that news concerns ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, it has to be told! It has been announced that the film will be hitting digital download next Wednesday, the 24th of August. Whether this is a PVOD rental or it’ll be available to buy isn’t clear. But I would be surprised if it was a PVOD release. My heart is telling me that it will be a digital download to buy. And if it is, then I’m first in line to grab it! I loved the film and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. If you’re on the fence about it, check out our review here.
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU IS NOW AVAILABLE TO RENT ON PVOD!
This week’s offering on the PVOD market is the animated family sequel ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru.’ The film was delayed by two years, thanks to Covid. But when it finally opened, it was a box office success. Critics and audiences lapped up the further adventures of Gru and his lovable little yellow friends. In the film, an 11-year-old Gru plans to become a supervillain with the help of his Minions, which leads to a showdown with a malevolent team, the Vicious 6. Steve Carrell once again voices Gru with the legendary Pierre Coffin once again providing vocals for the Minions themselves. Now, I love the Minions but have a confession to make. I haven’t seen the film yet! (Shocked gasp!). But I’m assured that I won’t be disappointed when I finally get to see it. And if you’re a fan of the banana munching Minions, then I guess you will too. It is available to rent for the price of £15.99.
THE OFFICIAL CHART
Once more, the chart throws up a few surprises. And is a major shakeup over the past seven days. We do have to bid Adieu to ‘Sing 2’, ‘Get Carter’, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, and ‘The Northman.’ But what is holding the top spot? Is it still in the grips of magic? Has it been taken over by a British period drama? Or has something else emerged to steal everyone’s thunder? No time to waste as we find out.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG RACES BACK TO THE TOP SPOT!
Would you believe it? Last week, he was languishing down in seventeenth place. But thanks to its release on the physical formats, ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ races up the chart by sixteen places to once again take the top spot. The comedy sequel is, in my eyes, the best family film of the year. Its winning combination of action, comedy, and thrills makes it the perfect family film for everyone. The film follows Sonic and Tails, who team up to find the Master Emerald before Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles the Echidna. With the addition of Idris Elba to the cast as the voice of Knuckles, the film is a complete treat. And the mid-credits stinger will have fans cheering the house down.
FANTASTIC BEASTS LOSE THEIR MAGIC!
After holding the top spot for the past few weeks, the third film in the Wizarding World franchise, ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ falls a single place to take the second position. The third film in the spinoff from the Harry Potter universe continues to sell well on every format. Once again featuring Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law, the film is said to be a vast improvement over the previous entry. However, that didn’t prevent it from becoming the lowest-grossing film of the trilogy so far. Rumors swirled around that this would be the end of the line for the spinoffs. However, Mads Mikkelsen has given the fans hope of the series continuing. He commented recently saying that Johnny Depp MAY return to take the role of Grindelwald back once again. Time will tell.
DOWNTON ABBEY’S NEW ERA SUFFERS A SETBACK!
After debuting last week in the second position, ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ sees a slight fall as it ends the week in the third position. The second big screen outing for the cast of the hit ITV drama has once again been a box office success. This time around, 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”, angering some of the residents. It will make for some terrific viewing for the fans of the show and the first movie. And it should see an upturn next week, thanks to the film hitting the physical formats this past Monday.
Credit: Ben Blackall / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC
GREASE IS THE WORD AT NUMBER FOUR!
The world was saddened last week by the news of the death of Dame Olivia Newton-John from cancer. Her fans have decided to pay tribute to her by lapping up her most famous role as Sandy in the hit 1978 musical ‘Grease.’ The film has made its top ten debut by entering the chart in fourth place. You don’t need me to tell you the story by now and so, I won’t. All I shall say is that it remains one of the greatest musicals of all time. Olivia Newton-John went from moderate fame to superstardom with the film. As did John Travolta. I don’t think there’s anyone out there that hasn’t seen the film or doesn’t own a copy of the classic soundtrack. I have it on all formats going back to VHS and still watch it on Sky Movies. It remains the one that we want. A true classic, and a great tribute from the fans to our departed Sandy.
THE BATMAN FALLS TO FIVE!
After spending the past few weeks brooding from the fourth position’s shadows, the superhero noir ‘The Batman’ falls a place to five. The movie has certainly had a great time in cinemas and on the home entertainment market. And has recently had a price cut on digital download to £9.99. It has now risen in price again. The film remains slightly divisive amongst the fans of the character. Some call it the best Batman film ever made while others, including myself, disagree completely. A second film is being planned but with the upheaval at Warner Bros. right now concerning all DC projects, nothing is certain. With the recent cancellation of the almost complete ‘Batgirl’ movie, things can so easily change.
DOCTOR STRANGE LOSES PLACES IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS!
We start our tour of the bottom five positions by finding that ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’ has fallen out of the top five. The Marvel movie, once again starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, drops three places to end the week in the sixth position. The film continues to be available on Disney+ for all subscribers while its retail sales have slowed down.
HEAT ROASTS THE CHART FINALLY!
Coming in to take a top ten place for the very first time is the 1995 classic action drama ‘Heat.’ The film enters the top ten in seventh place, thanks to its release in a brand new 4K UHD version. The film follows the conflict between an LAPD detective, played by Al Pacino, and a career thief, played by Robert De Niro, while also depicting its effect on their professional relationships and personal lives. The film is a classic of the genre and contains possibly the most realistic bank heist ever committed to film. It also contains Pacino And De Niro finally coming face to face in a movie for the first time in a classic scene set in a coffee shop. With terrific support from Val Kilmer, the film is a must-own for any film fan.
THE LOST CITY IS LOST ONCE AGAIN!
The action comedy ‘The Lost City’ sees itself becoming lost in the chart once again. The film, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe falls three places as it now resides in the eighth spot on the chart.
DUNE GETS BLOWN AWAY!
The science fiction epic ‘Dune’ gets blown away slightly this week. The Oscar-Winning first part of Frank Herbert’s classic novel drifts two places as it ends the week in the ninth position.
COPYRIGHT: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TAKES THE TENTH SPOT TOO!
And finally, he’s currently holding the top spot in the chart. And he’s decided to hold the tenth and final spot too! Becoming a new entry in the chart, we get a double dose of comedic, spiky action as the ‘Sonic The Hedgehog/ Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ boxset‘ closes out this week’s best-selling titles.
FINISHING OFF!
That’s all there is for this week, ladies and gentlemen. However, with the rumored release date on the physical formats of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ being October 31st, some of the big guns are lining up to take their shot at the top of the chart mountain. And it will make for an enjoyable build-up towards Winter and Christmas in particular. Yes, I said the dreaded ‘C’ word. But it isn’t that far away, scarily. But it’s still enough of a way off to worry about just yet. So 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.
Carl Roberts is the News Editor for 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!
