‘Predator: Badlands’ Dominates U.K., Ireland Box Office

Disney’s “Predator: Badlands” ruled the U.K. and Ireland box office, opening to £2.3 million ($3.1 million), according to Comscore.

The high-octane franchise entry easily outpaced Sony’s “The Choral,” which debuted at No. 2 with $1.2 million. Paramount’s “Regretting You” was in third place with $1.04 million, bringing its cumulative gross to $6.9 million.

Universal’s “Bugonia” came in fourth with $723,160 for a total of $2.7 million. Mubi’s “Die My Love” collected $521,574, debuting in fifth place. “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” from Disney held sixth with $437,199, lifting its total to $4.7 million.

Universal’s “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” placed seventh, earning $406,590 for a running total of $7.4 million. Studiocanal’s “I Swear” followed in eighth with $359,605 and now stands at $7.3 million.

Paramount’s “A Paw Patrol Christmas” opened ninth with $329,216, while Sony’s “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” rounded out the top 10 with $248,872 and a cumulative $3.3 million.

Among upcoming releases Paramount’s “The Running Man,” from Edgar Wright, is the major wide opener, launching across 300-plus locations. Trafalgar Releasing follows with “J-Hope Tour ‘Hope on the Stage’ The Movie,” the latest BTS concert film set for a wide global rollout, and Black Bear with folk horror “Keeper.”

CinemaLive offers “John Cleese Packs It In,” a filmed version of the comedy legend’s stage show, while Lionsgate opens “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” the latest in the illusionist caper series. Sony releases “Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution,” expected to continue anime’s box office momentum, while Studiocanal counters with the courtroom drama “Nuremberg,” featuring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek.

Other titles include Radiance’s rerelease of 1980’s “Night of the Juggler” and Munro’s Hong Kong drama“Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Event screenings range from the 4K restorations of “The Wild Geese” and “City on Fire” to concert film “Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos.” Netflix adds “Left-Handed Girl” and “Jay Kelly,” bolstering the streaming end of the slate.

Also opening this week are “De De Pyaar De 2” from Yash Raj Films and “Christmas Karma” from True Brit Entertainment. Other titles include Schendel Films’ “Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge,” Dogwoof’s “Predators,” Curzon’s “Alpha,” and Olympic Films’ “Park Avenue.” Rounding out the week’s slate is Anime Ltd’s “100 Meters,” set for a limited Sunday release.