Paddington in Peru charmed UK & Ireland audiences this weekend with the biggest opening of the year for a British-produced movie, and the best since 2021’s No Time to Die. What’s more, the three-day £9.65M ($12.4M) launch is the highest-ever for Studiocanal with the little marmalade-loving bear going from strength to strength. The 2014 original opened to £5.1M, and the 2017 sequel did £8.2M in its debut. Combined, the previous two films grossed $600M worldwide.
The No. 1 debut for the Dougal Wilson-directed threequel drew an audience of an estimated 1.2M across the UK & Ireland since releasing on Friday.
Developed, produced and distributed by Studiocanal, this is the third biggest opening of the year to-date overall, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.
In other comps, Paddington in Peru’s bow was bigger than The Super Mario Bros Movie (£8.7M excluding previews) and ahead of Incredibles 2 (£9.4M),Wonka (£8.9M), Despicable Me 4 (£8.8M) and Mary Poppins Returns (£8.2M).
Playing in 732 cinemas, the widest site count of the year so far, this is the 6th biggest British film to open in the past decade, according to Studiocanal. It also becomes the 10th largest family film to open in the last 10 years.
Based on the best-selling series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond, the film sees Paddington receive a letter from Peru telling him that his beloved Aunt Lucy has inexplicably gone missing from her jungle cabin at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru.
The cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Carla Tous, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas and Ben Whishaw
In her review for Deadline, Stephanie Bunbury wrote that in this third time around, “the story of the little bear welcomed by strangers remains magical.”
Story is by Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton, with a screenplay by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
Studiocanal will also distribute in France, Germany, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand as well as through partners in China and Japan. Sony has North American rights with a January 17, 2025 release set. It is also handling other key international markets including Latin America.