Warner Bros’ welcome holiday hit Wonka reclaimed top spot at the North American box office over the final weekend of the year, which is on track to finish on just over $9bn for the first time since the pandemic.
The overall aggregated box office, which will be confirmed by ComScore in the coming days, was powered by the likes of Barbie ($636.2m) The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($574.9m), Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse ($381.1m), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 ($358.9m), and Oppenheimer ($326.1m).
2023 marks the biggest year since 2019, although there is a way to go before box office scales the heights of the $11bn-plus years of 2015 through 2019.
2022 box office finished at $7.37bn as the world emerged from Covid, while both 2021 on $4.48bn and 2020 on $2.11bn were profoundly impacted by cinema closures and production stoppages during the pandemic and as such are not meaningful comparisons.
The more valid comparison is 2019, when all North American releases combined for $11.36bn. The upcoming 2024 is unlikely to get close to that number due to a schedule affected by the strikes. Industry sources have touted $8bn as a realistic target before business resumes with a full roster in 2025.
Wonka, Paul King’s $100m live-action Willy Wonka origins story, was a big factor in getting 2023 box office to the $9bn milestone. Surprises like Toho International’s Godzilla Minus One (on $45.7m and counting) and Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron ($35.9m) have also played a key role over the holiday season.
After launching top over the December 15-17 session and succumbing to Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom over the Christmas weekend, the Timothée Chalamet starrer reclaimed the number one spot in its third session with an estimated $23.9m over the three-day December 29-31 period for a $134.9m running total, rising to $142.5m factoring in a projected $31.8m over four days.
In contrast Warner Bros’ DC stablemate Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom in second place has not performed well. The Jason Momoa tentpole stands at $77.8m after its December 22 start, bringing in $19.5m over three and a projected $26.3m over four days for $84.2m.
These are highly disappointing numbers given that the 2018 original became DC’s biggest hit on $1.15bn worldwide and stood at $153.9m in North America by the same stage – eight days of release – and $215.4m by January 1, 2019.
Universal/Illumination’s animated adventure Migration ranks third on $54.3m after two weekends thanks to a $17.2m haul over three days in 3,839 theatres and a projected $22.3m over four to stand at $59.4m. The film reportedly cost $70m – a steal compared to most animation tentpoles – and is expected to play well into the new year.
Warner Bros’ The Color Purple ranks fourth and is going well. The musical retelling of Alice Walker’s beloved story stands at $45.3m after seven days following a $13m three-day gross and $50m factoring in the projected $17.7m over four.
Rounding out the top five is Columbia Pictures’ comedy Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, which earned $9m over three days for $25.1m and is forecast to gross $11.5m over four days for a $27.6m running total.
George Clooney’s drama The Boys In The Boat has reached $21.9m after an $8.3m three-day bump, rising to $24.6m with a projected $11m over four days. The Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner starrer drew a 55% female and 68% over-35 crowd.
Placing seventh is A24’s Sean Durkin wrestling drama The Iron Claw starring Zac Efron, which added $5m for $16.4m and rises to $18.2m with a projected $6.9m over four days from 2,794 sites.
Michael Mann’s Ferrari ranks eighth through Neon and has cruised to $10.9m after a $4.1m three-day session and $12.1m after a projected $5.2m over four.
In ninth place is Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes on a solid $159.9m following a $2.9m three-day weekend and $160.7m including a projected $3.7m over four.
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron rounds out the top 10 and stands at $36.8m through GKids, earning $2.5m for $35.9m from 940 locations and $36.8m with the projected $3.4m four-day gross.
SPC opened Germany’s Oscar submissions The Teachers’ Lounge at number 25 on $15,665, resulting in $32,306 since the December 25 opening day.
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