Peter Rabbit

Rural icon Beatrix Potter will be smiling down on this neo-rabbit sequel to her invention of Peter Rabbit this story tells us:

While Black Panther extends its run at the top of the US box office into a rare fifth week, in the UK the Marvel superhero hit succumbs to a well-aimed kick from the family-friendly Peter Rabbit. Very loosely adapted from Beatrix Potter’s children’s tale, this blend of humans (Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne) and digital animals stuns with a £7.27m opening – the second biggest debut of 2018, after Black Panther.

This is below the opening of franchise titles Paddington 2 (£8.26m) and Despicable Me 3 (£11.2m), but ahead of Pixar’s Coco (£3.36m, or £5.21m including previews) and The Boss Baby (£2.80m, or £8.03m including extensive previews). With most schools beginning the Easter break at the end of next week, Peter Rabbit looks set for a nice stretch of rich play.