Carl Roberts 
This week on The Official Film Chart, Thor gets some Love And Thunder, and The Black Phone starts to ring, but the top spot gets all shook up as Elvis rocks into the chart!
Welcome to The Official Film Chart.
BEAST ROARS ITS WAY ONTO PVOD!
Despite only opening in cinemas last month, the Idris Elba film ‘Beast’ has hit the PVOD market this past Monday. The film follows a widowed father and his two teenage daughters who visit a South African game reserve but must fight to survive when they are stalked and attacked by a ferocious, rogue, bloodthirsty lion. I haven’t as yet seen the film so I cannot say if it is any good or not. But our reviewer gave the film a three-star rating, praising the action and performances while criticising the dialogue. (Read our review here). If you missed it on the big screen and fancy giving the film a watch, you can rent it for £15.99 from your preferred site.
THE OFFICIAL CHART
The chart has seen a major shakeup this week as we lose five titles while gaining four new entries and a re-entry. We must bid goodbye to ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’, ‘Top Gun’, ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’, ‘The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Boxset’, and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ But what is occupying the top spot this week? Can Maverick make it five weeks in a row? Have the dinosaurs roared to the top of the chart mountain? Or has something else arrived to rock the top spot? A little less conversation please as we find out.
ELVIS ROCKS HIS WAY INTO NUMBER ONE!
After four weeks of afterburner action, we have a brand new number one. Gyrating its hips and rocking and rolling into the chart, we welcome ‘Elvis’ as our chart-topper. The film, an almost three-hour long biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann arrives to make a showstopping entry. Documenting the highs and lows of Elvis’s (Austin Butler) life, from childhood to his unprecedented stardom as he became the King of Rock’n’Roll – framed through his complicated relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), the film is really enjoyable. Fans of the king of rock and roll will love it. But some of the musical choices leave a lot to be desired. But Austin Butler must surely win an Oscar for Best Actor next year as his performance as Elvis is incredible.
MAVERICK GETS SHOT DOWN!
After flying high at the top of the chart for the past four weeks, Tom Cruise has been shot down. The brilliant sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ yields to the king of rock and roll as it falls a place to second. But we can’t feel too sorry for the film. It has been a huge success on the big screen and on home entertainment. And it shows little sign of slowing down, taking money in UK cinemas still while selling hundreds of thousands of copies on digital download. And it doesn’t hit the physical formats until the end of October, giving it another shot of hitting number one again.
THE DOMINION DOESN’T DOMINATE!
Another film that is yet to hit the physical formats is ‘Jurassic World: Dominion.’ The film, the sixth and final chapter in the Jurassic franchise that started back in 1993 falls a place to third. The film bookends the six films that have been made so far and closes the new trilogy. But it is a complete letdown. Far from being the grandstanding finale to the six-film arc, it has all the impact of a wet lettuce leaf. Gone are the days of fun and excitement, the spectacle we all loved. Instead, we have a run-of-the-mill, by-the-numbers sequel that young children will enjoy while adults will roll their eyes and hope it ends soon.
THE LOST BOYS TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE CHART!
There’s a big return to the Official Film Chart from the 1987 era-defining black comedy/horror ‘The Lost Boys.’ The film earns a brand-new peak and its first entrance into the Top 10 thanks to a 35th Anniversary Steelbook release. The title is a reference to the Lost Boys in J. M. Barrie’s stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, who, like vampires, never grow up. For years, there have been talks about a reboot of the film and a PROPER sequel to it (We will ignore the two that were made, Lost Boys: The Tribe and Lost Boys: The Thirst). But for people like myself, who saw the film upon its original cinema outing, the film remains an all-time classic.
A NEW ERA IS SLOWLY ENDING
The top five placings this week are rounded off by ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era.’ The film, the second big screen outing for the hit ITV drama, falls two places to end the week in the fifth position. The cast is all back again for this second outing. Critics and fans praised the film once again, leading it to be another great box office success. Rumors are swirling that a third film could be in the offing, giving fans even more top-quality dramatic entertainment to look forward to.
SIXTH PLACE GETS SOME LOVE AND THUNDER!
Chris Hemsworth makes an appearance in Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, which enters at Number 6 on digital downloads alone. The film is the fourth solo outing for the Norse god in the MCU. Hemsworthappears alongside Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman. In the film, Thor attempts to find inner peace but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster—who is now the Mighty Thor—to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all the gods. A lot of people actually enjoyed the film, claiming it was the best solo outing for the character. Alas, I was not one of them. Enough said.
THE BLACK PHONE STARTS RINGING IN SEVENTH!
Making its debut in seventh place is the supernatural horror movie ‘The Black Phone.’ It is an adaptation of the 2004 short story of the same name by Joe Hill. The film stars Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, and Ethan Hawke. In the film, an abducted teenager uses a mysterious telephone to communicate with the previous victims of his deranged captor. The film is a great little chiller and lives long in the memory. And Hawke gives an outstanding performance as the villain.
POLTERGEIST MANIFESTS ITSELF INTO THE TOP TEN!
Our fourth and final new title in the chart manifests itself in eighth place. And it is a spooky welcome to the 1982 classic ‘Poltergeist.’ The film, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg has entered the chart thanks to a 4K steelbook release to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The film focuses on a suburban family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct their daughter. It remains a bona fide classic of the genre 40 years after it was first released. The film is steeped in tragedy, however, thanks to the untimely deaths of co-stars Dominique Dunne who was strangled by her ex-boyfriend, and Heather O’Rourke who dies due to congenital stenosis of the intestine complicated by septic shock.
THE BATMAN RETURNS TO THE SHADOWS!
The comic-book detective noir superhero movie ‘The Batman’ has hidden itself back into the shadows. The film, featuring Robert Pattinson as the title character, falls five places as it watches over Gotham City from the ninth position.
SING 2 HAS LOST ITS VOICE!
And finally, the animated sequel hit ‘Sing 2’ has lost its voice. The film, a former number one, has fallen four places as it ends the week in the tenth and final position in the chart.
TIME TO LEAVE THE STAGE!
While Elvis hasn’t left the building, it is time for us to depart the chart stage for another week. The build-up towards Christmas has begun in earnest. The big titles are hitting the physical formats, ready to be gifted to the ones we love for the festive season. We can expect to see some more big hitters arriving before the big day. But in the meantime…
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!
