Although “Matilda: the Musical” will not reach movie theaters around the world, as it will be seen via Netflix, in the United Kingdom it had its premiere in theaters. The reason: the English production company decided to launch it there and in Ireland rather than on the streaming platform. After its debut on the film billboard, the success was overwhelming, so much so that it took away «Black Panther: Wakanda Forever«. So far the Marvel film was at the top of the box office in the United Kingdom.
But the musical film by Roald Dahl, which pocketed 5 million dollars in its first weekend for Sony Pictures, was stronger. This was reported by Collider, noting that it monopolized 50% of all the box office in the aforementioned nation. Against this backdrop, the movie earned about 50 percent more than “Wakanda Forever” and five times more than Disney’s animated film “Strange World.”
The reasons behind the success of “Matilda” abound. First of all: It stars Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch and Alisha Weir, adapted from the huge stage hit. Second: this theatrical production had already won seven Olivier Awards in 2012 for its music and lyrics. In addition, it had conquered critics who maintain their position against the film adaptation. On Rotten Tomatoes it achieved a positive score of 93%. Likewise, Thompson’s work as the villain of the orphanage has been applauded.
The decision to screen in British cinemas is due to the fact that it was produced by Working Title. In fact, there are two other Netflix movies in UK theaters right now for the same reason. On one side is “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story” and on the other, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”