Box Office Round-Up ~ 12/29/23

By: [email protected] on

In what might be the final curtain for the DC Extended Universe, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom won the long Christmas weekend, albeit with an underwhelming $27.7 million. It’s a weaker opening weekend than Black Adam last fall and Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year. 2023 has proven to be a deeply disappointing year for superhero movies at the box office, with both DC and Marvel struggling to reach the lofty highs of years past. With only a single DC and Marvel release apiece scheduled for 2024, superhero movies may be taking a much-needed break from the big screen while Warner Bros. and Disney regroup.

The rest of the field fared more or less better, as Wonka took second place for a sophomore weekend gross of $18 million, putting it past $75 million overall. It should clear $100 million over the week between holidays, clearing striking a chord with families looking for a Christmas trip to the movies. Animated release Migration took third place with $12.4 million, while rom-com Anyone But You debuted in fourth place with $6 million. In fifth place, Indian import Salaar: Part 1 Ceasefire had a U.S. debut of $5.4 million.

The new releases for New Years weekend hit theaters on Christmas Day, which means three more movies will be vying for box office dominance over the extended holiday break. Wonka looks to be the big winner once again, though it’s possible that Aquaman holds strong to win a second weekend in a row.

1.  Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ($27.7 MM)
Director: James Wan (CAA)
Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (CAA), James Wan (CAA), Jason Momoa (WME), Thomas Pa'a Sibbett (WME)
Cast: Jason Momoa (WME)
        Patrick Wilson (CAA)
        Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (WME)

2.  Wonka ($18 MM)
Director: Paul King (WME)
Writers: Simon Farnaby (Independent Talent Group), Paul King (WME)
Cast: Timothée Chalamet (UTA)
        Hugh Grant (CAA)
        Olivia Colman (CAA)

3.  Migration ($12.4 MM)
Director: Benjamin Renner (UTA), Guylo Homsy
Writers: Mike White (UTA), Benjamin Renner (UTA)
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani (UTA)
        Elizabeth Banks (UTA)
        Danny DeVito (CAA)

4. Anyone But You ($6 MM)
Director: Will Gluck (UTA)
Writers: Ilana Wolpert (UTA), Will Gluck (UTA)
Cast: Sydney Sweeney (Paradigm)
         Glen Powell (CAA)
         Dermot Mulroney (Paradigm)

5.  Salaar: Part 1 Ceasefire ($5.4 MM)
Director: Prashanth Neel
Writer: Sandeep Reddy Bandla, Choudary Hanuman, Prashanth Neel, D.R. Suri
Cast: Prabhas
        Prithviraj Sukumaran
         Shruti Haasan

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers