Kenneth Branagh

It was another “magically beautiful” week at the German box office: Wunderschön, the homegrown dramedy about four women of all ages by Karoline Herfurth topped the charts once again, just ahead of newest release Death on the Nile which beat two other debuts, Moonfall and Marry Me by, respectively, one and four spots. It has to be said that German-speaking people come in a close second to the Brits in their love for all things Agatha Christie.

Despite the studios’ counterprogramming with new films by Jennifer Lopez and Gal Gadot, the Super Bowl weekend – traditionally a slow period for filmgoing – stayed true to form. Death on the Nile, which marks the return of Kenneth Branagh as Agatha Christie’s beloved detective, Hercule Poirot since 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, emerged on top even with only $12.

In the week that saw the Italian Parliament vote for the President of the Republic, confirming Sergio Mattarella for re-election, Italian citizens have evidently stayed at home in front of the TV, as the cinema box office grosses have dropped compared to those of the previous week. This week’s ranking only sees one film that exceeds the €500,000 mark (€556,949).

Kenneth Branagh won his first Golden Globe in 2022, after five nominations, for the screenplay of Belfast, the autobiographical film he also directed. The Irish actor/writer/director adapted into movies several plays by William Shakespeare throughout his career.

With his new film Belfast, writer-director Sir Kenneth Branagh returns to the home of his childhood, along the way scooping up an impressive tally of nominations for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards. The semi-autobiographical story of a small boy whose peaceful life is thrown into disarray when the Northern Irish political unrest known as the Troubles hits his hometown, it has won him nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, along with Best Supporting Actress for Caitriona Balfe, Best Supporting Actor for both Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds, and Best Original Song for “Down to Joy,” by Branagh’s buddy and fellow Northern Irishman Van Morrison.

Kenneth Branagh’s wistful homage to his childhood in Northern Ireland arrives on the big screen in the form of the semi-autobiographical movie, Belfast. Written and directed by Branagh, the story chronicles the life of a working-class family in the late 1960s in a narrative set against the backdrop of social tumult during the Northern Ireland Conflict.