Disney’s romantic comedy The Roses leads the openers in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend as Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing also starts fo
Disney’s romantic comedy The Roses leads the openers in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend as Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing also starts for Sony.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman star in The Roses which opens in 694 locations. Jay Roach directs the feature about a couple whose loving marriage takes a nosedive when roles are reversed. It is based on the same novel that inspired the 1989 dim comedy starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Roach’s last directorial effort was 2019 #MeToo drama Bombshell which opened on £686,050. The US director has had more success in the comedy field including 2004 sequel Meet The Fockers, which opened to £7.9m and ended on £28.9m.
UK actors and producers Cumberbatch and Colman will be the biggest selling point for The Roses, with the latter’s last feature Wicked Little Letters grossing just shy of £10m in 2024. Further cast include Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Chao and Jamie Demetriou.
The Roses has competition from Caught Stealing which Sony is opening in 571 sites. Austin Butler stars in Afronofsky’s action as a New York bartender who finds himself caught up in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. Zoe Kravitz, Matt Smith and Regina King also star.
It is a departure from Afronosky’s previous work which includes 2023’s The Whale (£614,906 opening; £2.3m close) and 2011’s Black Swan (opened: £2.8m; closed: £16.5m).
Festival titles
Curzon has 20 sites Young Mothers from The Dardenne Brothers. The drama won the screenplay and jury prize at Cannes Film Festival and was recently selected as Belgium’s entry for best international feature.
Urška Djukić’s debut feature Little Trouble Girls opens in 17 locations via BFI Distribution. The Slovenian coming-of-age drama premiered in Berlinale Perspectives earlier this year and has played widely on the summer festival circuit.
T A P E Collective is rolling out Stéphane Ly-Cuong’s The Nguyen Kitchen, about a Vietnamese-French actress who dreams of starring in musical, across five locations.
Nostalgia hit
New titles will have to compete with some forceful re-releases including the 50th anniversary of Jaws which is taking a bite out of 688 cinemas for Universal. For its 20th anniversary, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is also screening in 406 locations for Warner Bros while Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2009 horror Dogtooth screens in 45 sites via Vertigo Releasing.
In event cinema, André Rieu’s 2025 Maastricht Concert: Waltz the Night Away! opens in 638 locations for Piece Of Magic Entertainment. Pathe Live has the 1987 documentary musical Prince: Sign O’ The Times.
Signature Entertainment is launching Macon Blair’s black comedy The Toxic Avenger in 312 venues. The superhero reboot, about a janitor who becomes a mutant vigilante, stars Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon.
Japanese animated musical Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing opens in 174 cinemas on Sunday (August 31) via Anime Ltd.
Bakrania Media has Indian romance Param Sundari out in 45 venues.
Key holdovers include Warner Bros horror Weapons and Disney’s Freakier Friday.
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