Universal’s music biopic Michael is opening in 713 sites across the UK and Ireland this weekend.
Antoine Fuqua directs the feature that’s based on the life of the controversy-laden ‘king of pop’ Michael Jackson up until 1984. The late singer’s nephew Jafaar Jackson is in the lead role, with a cast also featuring Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller.
Opening UK-Ireland weekends for music biopics in recent years have included £4.2m for Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love in 2024, £2.7m for Studiocanal’s Back To Black in 2024; £1.4m for Sony’s Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody in 2023 and 20th Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody with £6.4m in 2018.
Disney’s re-release of David Fincher’s 1999Fight Club is out at 471 sites.
Kazoo Films has Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss’ family animation Hitpig!, voiced by Jason Sudeikis and RuPaul, at 440 locations.
Vertigo Releasing is at 215 sites with video game adaptation and psychological horror Exit 8, directed by Japanese filmmaker Genki Kawamura.
In event cinema, Trafalgar Releasing has the Mozart opera The Magic Flute, performed at the Royal Opera House, at 185 sites this weekend, having opened in around 600 on Tuesday (April 21).
A24’s psychological horror Mother Mary, directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel and FKA Twigs is out at over 100 sites.
Tull Stories has 49 venues for Bart Schrijver’s drama The North, which follows former best friends, played by Bart Harder and Carles Pulido, who meet up after a decade to hike Scotland’s West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail.
Curzon has the feature directorial debut of acclaimed Italian opera director Damiano Michieletto’s Primavera at 48 sites.
Metis Films is releasing UK filmmaker Thea Gajic’s debut Surviving Earth at 15 sites. The drama follows a talented harmonica player who leaves his Yugoslavia home in the 1990s for the UK.
Bulldog Film Distribution has Ragnhild Ekner’s football documentary Ultras at four sites this weekend, with more to follow in May and June.
Miracle/Dazzler has one site for Pablo Behrens’ experimental Thames estuary documentary London’s Last Wilderness and one of Argentine filmmaker Sofía Petersen’s debut feature Olivia this weekend, with more sites being added for both films in the coming weeks.
Also new this weekend is BFI Distribution’s Venice premiere, Mark Jenkin’s time travelling Rose Of Nevada starring Callum Turner and George MacKay, plus Zee Studios’ Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy sequel Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 about a wrestler compelled to re-evaluate his life.
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