BOX OFFICE CRASHES IN BRITAIN

Ordinarily the box office begins to pick up around this time of year after the doldrums of September. Not so in the U.K., however, where, according to the Guardian newspaper, not a single movie grossed more than £1 million ($1.6 million). The last time that happened was June 2012. “Cinemas are crying out for a hit,” the newspaper said. The top film in the U.K. — as it was over the previous two weeks — was the Hugh Jackman starrer, Prisoners. Several new films played to nearly empty houses. Machete Kills, Baggage Claim, and Romeo and Juliet each opened to less than $1,000 per theater.