Box Office: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘A Haunting in Venice’ and ‘The Nun II’ Vie for No. 1 With $14 Million

J. Kim Murphy There was one key question gripping the box office heading into this weekend: would audiences be PAWing, or would they be Sawing? In a crowded September capper with four new wide releases, Paramount’s “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” looks to come out on top. The animated feature is edging out Lionsgate’s horror entry “Saw X” to lead domestic charts.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” stayed atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second successive weekend with £1.4 million ($1.8 million), per numbers from Comscore. The film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, where he plays detective Hercule Poirot, now has a total of £4.9 million after two weekends in release.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Expendables 4,” an action-thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, misfired in its box office debut, tumbling to a franchise-low $8.3 million. It landed in ever-so-slightly second place behind “The Nun II,” which collected $8.4 million in its third weekend. It’s possible the order could flip by the time the final tally is revealed on Monday.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.“The Nun II” is the ninth installment in the “The Conjuring” franchise, the highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Collider called the latest flick “an effective, gory, and impressively scary addition to the “Conjuringuniverse” that also stands as a solidly on its own.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice” has been rattling North American theaters for a week now, signaling the start to spooky season with a packed ensemble cast featuring the likes of Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly. Branagh’s players (and the director himself) weren’t able speak on behalf of the moody chamber piece due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Variety caught up with veteran producer Judy Hofflund (who made the first two Poirot films with Branagh, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile”) to discuss Fey’s journey to leading lady status in a film from this era, as well as the future of Branagh’s mustachioed sleuth.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Expend4bles,” the fourth action-thriller starring Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone as elite mercenaries on a mission, is expected to top the box office in its debut. It’s aiming for $15 million in its opening weekend, which would be the lowest of the franchise. There’s a chance, though, it could slightly exceed expectations with $17 million.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has addressed the Russell Brand allegations for the first time, urging the UK TV industry not to become “synonymous with the scandals of #MeToo.”

Courteeners played the relaunch of Club NME with Ladbrokes Live this weekend (September 15) in London.The Manchester band performed a career-spanning greatest hits set at London’s EartH, followed by a surprise DJ guest set from The Libertines’ Carl Barat and Gary Powell to close the evening alongside DJ Rowena.Tickets were free to punters who queued around the street to guarantee entry, reintroducing the classic indie disco night that first launched in 2005 and became a staple of the club scene from London to Sao Paulo and beyond.Taking to the stage for their first London show since March, Courteeners launched into cuts from 2013 album ‘Anna’ including ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’ alongside classic ‘St Jude’ hits like ‘Cavorting’ and more.The band played fan favourite ‘Sycophant’ from 2010’s ‘Falcon’, a song that frontman Liam Fray admitted he’d not “sung that one for a long time”. A rowdy crowd that had travelled from across the country climbed on shoulders for ‘The 17th’ from ‘Mapping The Rendezvous’, and ‘St Jude’s ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and ‘What Took You So Long?’The Libertines’ Barat and Powell joined for a secret DJ set, which included mash-ups of The Killers and Gorillaz, alongside hits from Beastie Boys and more in a vibrant set.Speaking to NME prior to the show, Courteeners’ Liam Fray commented on their upcoming music.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief ‘Expendables 4’ narrowly took top place at the mainland China box office on a quiet weekend preceding the National Day holiday season at the end of the month. “A Haunting in Venice” opened outside the top five. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Expendables 4” earning $10.9 million (RMB78.6 million) over its debut weekend.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/New Line’s The Nun II continued to conjure strong business around the globe this weekend, taking the top spot again worldwide and overseas. The sophomore session of $30.1M in 72 offshore markets brings the international box office cume to $102.3M and worldwide to $158.8M so far.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The supernatural mystery, which The Post called a “surefooted film with strong performances and a luxurious-yet-frightful tone,” is based on a 1969 Agatha Christie novel.“The Nun II,” which was in first place last week, moved down a notch to the No. 2 spot, with earnings of $4.4 million.

J. Kim Murphy Hercule Poirot is back on the case this weekend, with Kenneth Branagh’s “A Haunting in Venice” hoping to best a very quiet box office in its opening. The horror-tinged whodunnit scored$5.5 million from 3,305 theaters on its opening day, a figure that includes $1.2 million in Thursday previews.

Niall Matter dips Heather Hemmens back during a sweet dance moment in their brand new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie, Come Fly With Me.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Hildur Guðnadóttir grew up on Agatha Christie mysteries. “I totally lived for those novels,” the composer says. Ever since then, she has wanted to sink her teeth into story by the famous author.

Jordan Moreau Kenneth Branagh is suiting up as Detective Hercule Poirot once again, with the actor-director’s latest movie, “A Haunting in Venice,” opening in theaters this weekend. The 20th Century Studios movie made $1.2 million in Thursday previews at the box office. The supernatural whodunnit is expected to open between $13 million and $15 million, which would land it between the franchise’s previous two entries, “Murder on the Orient Express” from 2017 and last year’s “Death on the Nile.” All three movies are based on Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novels, with the first “Murder on the Orient Express” standing as the most successful with a $28.6 million opening.

20th Century Studios’ Kenneth Branagh starring and directed, A Haunting in Venice, has scared up $1.2M in previews. The weekend outlook for the feature take of the Agatha Christie novel Hallowe’en is $12M+, similar to what Branagh’s feature take on the author’s Death on the Nile did back in 2022 in its first weekend, $12.8M.

A Haunting in Venice, the third installment in Kenneth Branagh‘s Hercule Poirot franchise, has finally been released in theaters.

“Could I be the quarterback of the Jets? I could be the quarterback of the Jets.”

Wilson Chapman editorAfter a five-year wait, Aquaman is finally surfing into theaters once again. Warner Bros.

A Haunting In Venice.Based on the 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie, the supernatural mystery film marks Branagh’s third turn as the mustachioed detective following Murder On The Orient Express and 2022’s Death On The Nile.Along with a compelling mystery, each film is propped up by its ensemble cast.