After a turbulent 2023, Wonka is leading the lengthy New Year’s weekend box office competition.
The Warner Bros. origin story, which stars Timothée Chalamet as a youthful candy manufacturer Willy Wonka, is expected to bring in $31.8 million over the duration of the four-day holiday weekend, bringing its total domestic box office receipts to a delightful $142.5 million as of Monday. It made $39.1 million abroad from 77 markets, for a healthy $244.4 million overseas total and $386.9 million worldwide.
Warners produced several more musicals that were equally successful as Wonka. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple debuted on December 25 and has been performing better than anticipated. It earned an estimated $17.7 million over the course of its four-day run at No. 4 on the New Year’s weekend list. Up until Monday, the movie’s anticipated domestic total was a whopping $50 million.
After a terrible fall season, box office observers weren’t sure two weeks ago whether domestic revenue could reach $9 billion. However, sales managed to go above $9 billion in the post-pandemic period first, mostly because mid-range and smaller films outperformed throughout the Christmas season. That is an increase of 20% over 2022. The unfortunate thing is that revenue has not increased from 2019—the year before the COVID-19 crisis—by 20 to 21 percent.
Wonka, which debuted in the middle of December, won the Christmas box office this year after Warners’ Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom tanked on its opening weekend of December 22–25 and didn’t meaningfully rebound, while maintaining a high position on the list.
The DC superhero sequel is predicted to earn an estimated $26.3 million from Friday to Monday, placing it in second place for the New Year’s weekend.
That would make Aquaman 2’s domestic total through Monday only $84.7 million, as opposed to the first Aquaman’s $215.4 million through New Year’s Day over the 2018 year-end holidays. James Wan directed both movies, which starred Jason Momoa in the lead roles. The superhero movie is performing better abroad, grossing an additional $50.5 million from 77 markets this past weekend, bringing its total international revenue to $173.6 million and $258.3 million worldwide (a significant $45.8 million of that amount comes from China).
Cinema owners were appreciative of Warner Bros. for releasing three event pictures in about a week that had brought in a total of $700 million, despite Aquaman’s financial difficulties.
Illumination and Universal’s Migration held in consistently for a projected domestic total of $59.4 million through New Year’s Day, following a slow start during the Christmas holiday. The film had opened at No. 3 with a four-day revenue of $22.3 million. Its domestic total exceeds Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’s $55 million earned during the 2022 year-end holidays, which peaked at a robust $186.1 million domestically. Migration has made $100 million worldwide (although sales have been modest elsewhere).
Warners and Amblin’s The Color Purple opened spectacularly on Christmas Day with $18 million, the second-highest opening ever for a picture releasing on December 25 and the highest since 2009, not accounting for inflation.
The triumph of Wonka and The Color Purple seems to be lifting the musical black cloud cast over recent years, which bodes well for Mean Girls, a forthcoming film from Paramount, and Wicked, a 2024 Christmas event picture from Universal.
Sony’s edgy Christmas release Anyone but You, which rounded out the top five with a projected $11.5 million for the four days to increase its domestic tally to $27.6 million, also helped the ailing rom-com genre.
The Boys in the Boat, a George Clooney-helmed film from MGM and Amazon, came in at number six on the four-day holiday list with $11 million, making an estimated $24.6 million domestically through Monday.
With an estimated $6.9 million over the course of four days, A24’s wrestling drama The Iron Claw came in at number seven. The film starring Zac Efron has brought in a satisfying $18.2 million as of Monday.
With an estimated $5.2 million for the four days, Neon’s Ferrari finished eighth during New Year’s weekend, making an early domestic total of $12.1 million. Ferrari debuted on Christmas Day, just like The Color Purple and Boys in the Boat.
