Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, the big-screen version of the BBC sitcom Ghosts, has gone straight to number one at the UK box office. It took £2,458,995 over the weekend of 23 to 25 October 2026, according to Comscore figures published by the UK Cinema Association. The film, released by Lionsgate, finished ahead of DC’s Clayface and Ali G: Who Iz I?. Five new releases entered the top 10.
UK box office: how the weekend played out
The top five films, with their Friday-to-Sunday takings, were:
- 1. Ghosts: The Possession of Button House (Lionsgate): £2,458,995
- 2. Clayface (Warner Bros): £2,011,765
- 3. Ali G: Who Iz I? (Amazon MGM Studios): £1,344,873
- 4. Wildwood (Black Bear): £1,022,599
- 5. Street Fighter (Paramount): £1,009,599, bringing its total to £4,282,557
The rest of the top 10 was made up of Forgotten Island, Verity, which has now taken more than £10.8 million, Other Mommy, Fatherland and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
A television comedy succeeds on the big screen
Digital Cinema Media (DCM), which sells advertising in UK cinemas, noted that sitcoms do not always succeed on the big screen, but said Ghosts clearly had. In its weekly round-up, DCM said the opening of about £2.5 million included £48,000 from preview screenings. It compared the result with Dad’s Army, the 2016 film of another BBC comedy, which opened with £2.1 million and finished on £8.7 million. DCM said it expected Ghosts to reach that final total.
Clayface, the latest DC Universe film, opened with about £2 million, including £82,000 from previews. DCM called this a solid result for a film made on a smaller budget than a typical DC release, and said it had a good chance of beating the £5.8 million final total of this year’s Supergirl.
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Ali G and Laika’s Wildwood
Ali G: Who Iz I? reached third place despite a deliberately limited release. According to DCM, it was originally booked only for Friday and Saturday evening shows, but some cinemas added Sunday screenings after strong demand, and it also has midweek showings. DCM noted that the character’s 2002 film, Ali G InDaHouse, took £10.3 million, but said the comparison was unfair given how restricted the new release is.
Wildwood, the new stop-motion feature from the animation studio Laika, took just over £1 million, including £39,000 from previews. That is well ahead of the £648,000 opening of Laika’s previous cinema release, Missing Link, in 2019. Missing Link went on to make £3.6 million, a total DCM expects Wildwood to pass.
Street Fighter fell 56% in its second weekend, DCM said. Even so, the video game adaptation has already earned more than the £3.4 million final total of May’s Mortal Kombat II. Further down the chart, MUBI’s Fatherland opened in ninth place with £311,086, of which £112,000 came from previews.
Why it matters
The result adds to what has been a strong year for UK cinemas. The UK Cinema Association said August brought more than 17 million admissions, the biggest August since 2018. By the end of July, UK and Ireland takings had passed £783 million, 18% up on 2025, according to Comscore figures reported by The Media Leader. September was quieter, with about 9.9 million admissions according to the Cinema Advertising Association.
It is also a win for British television comedy at the cinema, following earlier home-grown hits such as the record-breaking fourth Bridget Jones film.
What’s next
The coming weekend, 30 October to 1 November, brings more new competition. Releases listed by DCM include Wicker, starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård; Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, which opened midweek on Wednesday 28 October; Animol, the first film directed by Ashley Walters; Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters; and the mountaineering documentary Everest: The Other Side.
Sources: UK Cinema Association, Weekend top 10 box office (Comscore) (23–25 October 2026); Digital Cinema Media, Box Office: Ghosts: The Possession of the Top of the Box Office (27 October 2026); UK Cinema Association, August admissions (12 September 2026); UK Cinema Association, Monthly admissions (accessed 28 October 2026); The Media Leader, July box office climbs 35% (2026).
