Box Office Round-Up ~ 1/4/24

By: [email protected] on

The final weekend of 2023 saw Wonka retake the top spot at the box office, rebounding back up to $22.4 million in its third weekend in theaters. It cleared $100 million over the extended holiday weekend to reach $133 million overall domestically. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, perhaps unsurprisingly given the superhero track record in 2023, fell to second place with $18.2 million. It has yet to crack $100 million overall. While it may achieve that over the first weekend or two of January, it has been another disappointment for Warner Bros. and DC.

Migration, from Universal and Illumination Entertainment (of Despicable Me fame), took third place in its second weekend, grossing $17 million to clear $50 million. In fourth place, the musical adaptation of The Color Purple debuted with a solid $11.7 million (grossing $44 million overall from its Christmas Day Monday debut). Romantic comedy Anyone But You, led by Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, took fifth place with a sophomore weekend gross of $8.7 million.

This coming weekend sees the release of Blumhouse haunted swimming pool flick Night Swim, which will test the waters (no pun intended) of horror’s durability in the new year. The 2024 movie season kicks into higher gear the following weekend with the musical remake of Mean Girls, Jason Statham-led actioner The Beekeeper, biblical satire The Book of Clarence, and Disney/Pixar’s re-release of Soul, as part of a series of new theatrical runs for their pandemic-era titles (Soul, Turning Red and Luca).

1.  Wonka ($22.4 MM)
Director: Paul King (WME)
Writers: Simon Farnaby (Independent Talent Group), Paul King (WME)
Cast: Timothée Chalamet (UTA)
        Hugh Grant (CAA)
        Olivia Colman (CAA)

2.  Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ($18.2 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)

3.  Migration ($17 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.  The Color Purple ($11.7 MM)
Director: Blitz Bazawule (CAA)
Writer: Marcus Gardley (WME)
Cast: Fantasia Barrino (CAA)
        Taraji P. Henson (CAA)
        Danielle Brooks (CAA)

5. Anyone But You ($8.7 MM)
Director: Will Gluck (UTA)
Writers: Ilana Wolpert (UTA), Will Gluck (UTA)
Cast: Sydney Sweeney (Paradigm)
         Glen Powell (CAA)
         Dermot Mulroney (Paradigm)

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers