Tom Holland and ‘Uncharted’ Stay No. 1 at Box Office

Tom Holland appears in a scene from "Uncharted." (AP)
Tom Holland appears in a scene from "Uncharted." (AP)
TT
20

Tom Holland and ‘Uncharted’ Stay No. 1 at Box Office

Tom Holland appears in a scene from "Uncharted." (AP)
Tom Holland appears in a scene from "Uncharted." (AP)

For the eighth time in the last two and a half months, a movie starring Tom Holland is No. 1 at the box office.

The Sony Pictures videogame adaptation “Uncharted," starring Holland and Mark Wahlberg, led ticket sales for its second weekend of release with $23.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Uncharted” held well, too, dropping a modest 46% from its $44 million debut. In two weeks, it's made $83.4 million in US and Canadian theaters.

“Uncharted,” a long-in-development adventure film about lost treasure that cost $120 million to make, is packing theaters overseas, too. With a mid-March China release date still looming, “Uncharted” added $35 million overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $226.4 million so far.

The film’s robust international sales includes box office from Russia, where studios have thus far elected to keep movies in release after the country invaded Ukraine earlier in the week. The Ukrainian Film Academy on Saturday called for a boycott of the Russian film industry following the invasion.

On the heels of the blockbuster business for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the success of “Uncharted” has minted the expanding star power of the 25-year-old Holland. “No Way Home," which led the box office six times over December and January, is still one of the top draws in theaters. This weekend, it landed in third place with $5.8 million, edging it closer to $800 million in domestic ticket sales.

While both “Uncharted” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” have benefited from brand recognition, rarely has one movie star reigned so much over a 12-week span in theaters.

Star power, too, has kept the Channing Tatum-led “Dog” at the number two spot. The MGM release, which Tatum co-directed with Reid Carolin, declined just 32% with $10.1 million in its second weekend of release. So far, the film — in which Tatum plays an Army Ranger paired with an Army dog on a road trip — has made $30.9 million against a $15 million budget.

With the release of Warner Bros.' “The Batman” coming on Friday, few new wide releases opened in theaters — and the ones that did struggled to make an impression.

The Foo Fighters' horror-comedy “Studio 666," released by Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment, went the widest, opening in 2,306 theaters. The movie, starring Dave Grohl and company as themselves while making their 10th record in a haunted house, debuted with $1.5 million.

The repeated delayed “Cyrano,” starring Peter Dinklage, launched in 797 theaters and totaled $1.4 million for MGM. The musical, directed by Joe Wright, has been warmly received by critics, might have benefited from a boost in Oscar nominations, but after several major Golden Globe nominations, it landed only a nod for costume design.

The new release that performed best is five decades old. Paramount's 50th anniversary, remastered release of Francis Ford Coppola's “The Godfather” debuted with $900,000 in 156 theaters.



Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
TT
20

Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP

Tens of thousands of ecstatic Oasis fans descend Friday on Cardiff as the legendary Britpop band kicks off a highly anticipated reunion tour nearly 16 years after last performing together.

The concert at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital will be the first of a 41-date run of gigs spanning the world, including in the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil, AFP said.

Once-warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, their bandmates and UK support acts will play in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday before five hometown gigs in Manchester starting on July 11.

Further sold-out British and Irish concerts will follow at London's Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin's Croke Park, before the international leg of their Oasis Live '25 tour.

"All that matters is how the people in that stadium feel," Liam Gallagher, 52, said on social media last week, as months of anticipation reach a climax.

Fans have been sharing their excitement at the first chance to see Oasis play live since 2009 -- or ever -- after it was long seen as a remote prospect following one of music's most acrimonious break-ups.

The band's 1990s gigs are the stuff of legend.

"The feeling is biblical!" fuel tanker driver Sean Campbell, 35, told AFP before attending Friday's gig.

"I've been waiting years for their return. I missed out on going years ago, so this is my first time seeing them live."

Ticket controversy

Oasis, famous for 1990s hits like "Live Forever" and "Wonderwall", announced its comeback tour last August, days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, "Definitely Maybe".

The Manchester rockers split in 2009, with Noel saying he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".

The Gallagher brothers had maintained a war of words about each other for more than a decade, performing individually over those years but never together.

The surprise announcement that they had finally put aside their feud to reunite sparked an online frenzy for tickets but outrage over sudden price hikes that saw Britain's competition watchdog threaten legal action.

Resale tickets costing thousands of pounds have surfaced, while fans have also been targeted by online scams.

Britain's Lloyds Bank estimated in April that victims had collectively lost more than £2 million ($2.7 million).

The tour is expected to be a boon for the struggling UK economy.

Fans could spend more than £1 billion combined on tickets and outgoings such as transportation and accommodation, Barclays bank estimated in May.

'Rough and ready'

Oasis will be supported in the UK by Richard Ashcroft, frontman of British rock band The Verve, as well as the Liverpool-formed band Cast.

The band has not released the setlist for their opening and other shows, with rampant speculation online over which classic tracks will feature and whether any new material will be performed.

There are also many rumors over the potential for special guests appearances.

Illuminated drones displayed Oasis's classic logo above the Cardiff stadium late Wednesday, in a one-night display adding to the buzz around the tour's kick-off.

Gates open Friday at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), with the band due on stage just over three hours later after both support acts have played.

The performance will wrap up by 10:30 pm, organizers said.

The stadium, which has a capacity of 74,500 for concerts, is set to have its retractable roof closed for both nights, with an incredible atmosphere expected.

Oasis reportedly began jamming together months ago, before starting rehearsals in London more recently.

The band has reportedly welcomed several new members for the tour, including a keyboard player and drummer.

Writing in the tour program, Noel, 58, reflected on the band's enduring popularity, saying "a new generation recognizes how Oasis wasn't manufactured".

"It was chaotic, and flawed, and not technically brilliant. We were rough and ready guys from a rehearsal room, and people recognized it."