Black Bear Secures First UK and Ireland Box Office Crown as Wicker Debuts at Number One
The romantic fantasy Wicker claims the top spot during a Halloween-heavy box office weekend, while A24's Primetime launches strongly in third place.
Published 2 November 2026
Wicker Leads the Weekend Chart
Black Bear achieved a milestone by capturing its first-ever number one position at the UK and Ireland box office. The romantic fantasy feature Wicker opened impressively, pulling in figures that easily outpaced the competition during the late October weekend session.
The film secured a strong opening haul supported by a solid site average across its numerous screening locations. When factoring in preview screenings, the overall total for the newly released title rose further.
Cast and Creative Team Behind the Winner
Wicker brings together notable talent in front of and behind the camera. Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard take on the leading roles in this imaginative project.
The narrative explores an unusual premise centered on a solitary fisherwoman who enlists a basket weaver to construct a husband for her. Directing duties for the feature were shared by Alex Hutson Fischer and Eleanor Wilson.
Strong Debuts and Holdovers in the Top Five
A24 made a notable impact on the charts with the arrival of Primetime, which opened in third place. Directed by Lance Oppenheim, the project features Robert Pattinson stepping into the role of former television host Chris Hansen.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate maintained a formidable presence with Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House. Benefiting directly from the Halloween holiday period, the horror comedy experienced a minimal drop in its second week, building substantially upon its cumulative earnings.
Warner Bros and Animation Performance
Warner Bros saw steady numbers from its comic-inspired villain story Clayface. The DC feature held its ground reasonably well during its second session, adding to its growing multi-million pound cume.
In the realm of animation, Laika Studios maintained a firm grip on the fifth position with Wildwood. Distributed by Black Bear, the animated feature managed to retain audience interest despite sliding slightly from its previous weekend placement.
Halloween Weekend Horrors and Classics
A variety of genre offerings capitalised on the holiday timing. Universal animated title Forgotten Island and Paramount release Streetfighter both continued their runs deep into their third weeks.
Specialized screenings also made waves, notably a 4K restoration of Ken Russell's classic 1971 feature The Devils, which achieved the highest screen average of the entire weekend across its select venues.
Other Notable Chart Entries
Studiocanal contributed to the diverse box office landscape with a re-release of Guillermo del Toro's acclaimed fantasy Pan's Labyrinth. At the same time, long-running titles such as Christopher Nolan's sprawling epic continued to pull in modest figures on their deep weekend sessions.
Independent and biographical projects also found modest space, including Metis Films' release of In The Shadows. Anthony Wonke directed this feature detailing the real-life journey of refugee Ramla Ali, who pursued boxing in secret to eventually claim championship status.
News Overview
Black Bear secured its first number one position at the UK and Ireland box office as the romantic fantasy Wicker debuted at the top spot. Alongside this release, A24 launched Primetime in third place while various horror titles and holdovers capitalized on the Halloween holiday weekend.
Key facts
- Wicker debuted with £1.7m at the UK and Ireland box office.
- Wicker total including previews stands at £1.8m.
- Primetime opened in third place with £1.3m.
- Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House has a £6.3m cume.
- Clayface is up to £4.7m.
- Wildwood is up to £2.8m.