‘The Housemaid’ Climbs to No. 1 as ‘Hamnet’ Debuts Strongly at U.K.-Ireland Box Office

Lionsgate U.K.’s “The Housemaid” climbed to the No. 1 position at the U.K. and Ireland box office in its third weekend, grossing £3.5 million ($4.7 million) and lifting its cumulative total to £17.8 million ($24.1 million), according to Comscore.

In a standout performance in the January awards corridor, Universal’s “Hamnet” delivered a $4.2 million opening across the U.K. and Ireland in second place, marking the strongest debut of the year so far among awards contenders. The launch topped openings for recent prestige titles including “A Complete Unknown,” “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” and “Marty Supreme.”

The result also places the film ahead of the initial U.K.-Ireland runs of acclaimed dramas such as “Little Women,” “The Favourite,” “Belfast” and “Poor Things,” while coming in at more than twice the opening of “Conclave.” The bow makes “Hamnet” the highest post-pandemic January opening for a drama, the fifth-biggest January drama debut of the past decade, and the second-largest drama opening since the start of 2025, trailing only “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.”

The film represents Jessie Buckley’s biggest opening weekend to date in a leading role, while for director Chloé Zhao and star Paul Mescal it ranks as the second-highest debut of their careers, behind “Eternals” and “Gladiator II,” respectively. Ireland proved a particular stronghold, accounting for 12% of the combined box office, with “Hamnet” alone representing more than 20% of the Irish market. In the U.K., the Everyman cinema chain led performance by circuit, while Picturehouse also posted robust results with an 8.5% share. Across the combined Everyman and Picturehouse estates, the film ranked No. 1 in 85% of locations.

Disney’s “Avatar: Fire And Ash” moved to third in its fourth frame, adding $3.5 million to reach a robust $48.4 million total. Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Marty Supreme” followed in fourth, earning $2.7 million and pushing its running tally to $12.7 million.

Rounding out the top five, Walt Disney’s “Zootopia 2” collected $1.6 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its cumulative gross to $39.7 million.

Further down the chart, Paramount’s “The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants” placed sixth with $836,000 and a cume of $9.2 million, while Sony’s “Anaconda” landed seventh on $711,000 for a total of $6.4 million. Universal’s “Song Sung Blue” followed in eighth with $590,000, taking its total to $2.5 million).

True Brit Entertainment’s “Giant” debuted in ninth on $502,000, while Park Circus’ 40th anniversary reissue of “Labyrinth” rounded out the top ten with $435,000.

Coming up, the mid-January slate brings a mix of franchise firepower, family titles and event cinema, led by Sony’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the next chapter in the post-apocalyptic series, which rolls out wide across 300-plus locations.

Disney is also in the marketplace with “Rental Family,” a heart warmer from director Hikari, starring Brendan Fraser alongside Hira Takehiro and Yamamoto Mari. Family audiences are catered to by Miracle Comms’ Dutch animation “Miss Moxy.”

Altitude Film Distribution’s awards season contender “The Voice Of Hind Rajab” opens on 100-plus screens, while Day For Night’s anthology film “State Of Statelessness,” directed by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam and Sonam Tseten, is getting a limited release.

Event cinema also features prominently, with Trafalgar Releasing presenting “La Traviata – ROH, London 2026,” continuing the strong theatrical run for Royal Opera House broadcasts. Warner Bros. has set a large-scale reissue of the complete “The Lord Of The Rings” trilogy – “The Fellowship Of The Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return Of The King” – all returning to cinemas across 100-plus locations.

Rounding out the week is Zee Studios International’s Bollywood fantasy comedy “Rahu Ketu.”