Hollywood closed out an up and down 2023 with regaining No. 1 at the box office, strong sales for B次元官网网址淭he Color PurpleB次元官网网址� and an overall $9 billion in ticket sales that improved on 2022B次元官网网址檚 grosses but fell about $2 billion shy of pre-pandemic norms.
The New YearB次元官网网址檚 weekend box office this year lacked a true blockbuster. (This time last year, B次元官网网址淎vatar: The Way of WaterB次元官网网址� was inundating theaters.) Instead, a wide array of films B次元官网网址� among them B次元官网网址淎quaman and the Lost Kingdom,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he Boys in the Boat,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淢igration,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淔errari,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he Iron ClawB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淎nyone But YouB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� sought to break out over the yearB次元官网网址檚 most lucrative box-office corridor.
The top choice, though, Paul KingB次元官网网址檚 musical starring Timoth茅e Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka. In its third weekend, the Warner Bros. release collected an estimated $24 million Friday through Sunday and $31.8 million factoring in estimates for the Monday holiday. That brings the filmB次元官网网址檚 domestical total to $142.5 million.
That bested Warner Bros.B次元官网网址� own which, like previous DC superhero films, is struggling. James WanB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎quamanB次元官网网址� sequel starring Jason Momoa took in $19.5 million in its second weekend to bring its two-week haul to a modest $84.7 million including New YearB次元官网网址檚 Day estimates.
The original B次元官网网址淎quaman,B次元官网网址� which ultimately surpassed $1.1 billion worldwide, had grossed $215.4 million over a similar period in 2018 B次元官网网址� more than double that of the sequel. Internationally, B次元官网网址淎quaman and the Lost KingdomB次元官网网址� added $50.5 million.
Weekend sales only tell part of the story this time of year. From Christmas through New YearB次元官网网址檚, when kids are out of school and many adults arenB次元官网网址檛 working, every day is like Saturday to film distributors.
B次元官网网址淭he Color Purple,B次元官网网址� from Alice WalkerB次元官网网址檚 novel, debuted on Monday and led all movies on Christmas with $18 million. Through the week, the Warner Bros. release has grossed $50 million, including $13 million Friday through Sunday. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a strong start for the crowd-pleaser starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks. Audiences gave it an B次元官网网址淎B次元官网网址� CinemaScore.
The roughly $100 million production, which boasts Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones (all from the 1985 film) as producers, should play well through awards season. ItB次元官网网址檚 nominated for several Golden Globes and expected to be in the Oscar mix.
B次元官网网址淲e saw this opportunity to go wide at Christmas since there were so few movies and we were confident the movie would be well received,B次元官网网址� said Jeffrey Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. B次元官网网址淕oing into the competitive landscape thatB次元官网网址檚 so thin in January and February, the excitement of awards season could really help ignite a bigger box office.B次元官网网址�
Despite a blockbuster-less holiday frame, the last weekend of the year pushed the industry past $9 billion in box office for the year in U.S. and Canadian theaters for the first time since before the pandemic. Ticket sales on the year were up 21% from 2022, according to data firm Comscore.
Still, it was a mark that seemed more easily within reach during when both B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� were breaking box-office records.
The enormous success of those two films changed the trajectory of HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 2023, but so did the . Those forced the postponement of some top films (most notably ), diminishing an already patchwork fall lineup with few guaranteed ticket-sellers. One exception was the last-minute addition of which set a new record for concert films.
This year, Hollywood needed Swift and every penny to reach $9 billion. It crossed that threshold Saturday, with one day to spare. That total, though, still doesnB次元官网网址檛 come close to the $11 billion-plus years that preceded the pandemic. The number of wide releases in 2023 came about 20 films shy of those released in 2019.
The production delays caused by the strikes could have an even greater impact on 2024. Several top releases have already been postponed until at least the following year, including B次元官网网址淢ission: ImpossibleB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪pider-VerseB次元官网网址� sequels. After a rocky year for Marvel and a string of less predictable hits, Hollywood will have to B次元官网网址� and that another B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� is lurking somewhere.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an $11 billion business. WeB次元官网网址檙e climbing our way back,B次元官网网址� said Goldstein. B次元官网网址淭his next year is going to be a big challenge because of the strikes. But weB次元官网网址檙e seeing very clearly in 2023, when there are movies out there that people want to see, they come.B次元官网网址�
Meanwhile, a host of releases sought to capitalize over the holidays B次元官网网址� and most succeeded.
B次元官网网址淭his crop of seven wide releases at the end of the year, they got us over the hump of $9 billion,B次元官网网址� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. B次元官网网址淭his final push of the year provided great insight into what audiences are looking for. ItB次元官网网址檚 movies big and small. ItB次元官网网址檚 different types of movies.B次元官网网址�
Though B次元官网网址淲辞苍办补B次元官网网址� won out as the family movie choice for the holidays, Universal PicturesB次元官网网址� is attracting young audiences, too. The animated movie from B次元官网网址淢inionsB次元官网网址�-maker Illumination notched $17.2 million in 3,839 theaters in its second weekend, and $59.4 million since opening.
the George Clooney-directed sports drama, grossed $24.6 million since opening Dec. 25. The Amazon MGM Studios release, about the U.S. menB次元官网网址檚 crew in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, wasnB次元官网网址檛 a smash with critics (58% B次元官网网址渇reshB次元官网网址� on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences gave it an B次元官网网址淎B次元官网网址� CinemaScore. B次元官网网址淭he Boys in the Boat,B次元官网网址� which cost about $40 million to make, could hold well in coming weeks.
Though romantic comedies have largely migrated to streaming platforms, Sony PicturesB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淎nyone But YouB次元官网网址� is proving the genre can still work in theaters. The film, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, collected $9 million in its second weekend to bring its total to $27.6 million through Monday.
Sean DurkinB次元官网网址檚 wrestling drama is also performing well. The A24 film, starring Zac Efron, Holt McCallany and Jeremy Allen White, has grossed $18 million since opening Dec. 22, including $5 million on the three-day weekend. The film dramatizes the tragic story of the Von Erich family.
a project the director sought to make for three decades, took in $10.9 million since launching in theaters on Monday, including $4.1 million for the weekend. While that ranks as one of the biggest debuts for indie distributor Neon, itB次元官网网址檚 nowhere near what a movie that cost close to $100 million to make needs to turn a profit.
The film, starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, has been celebrated by critics, but appears likely to follow MannB次元官网网址檚 previous film, 2015B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏lackhatB次元官网网址� ($19.6 million worldwide against a $70 million budget), as a commercial disappointment.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. B次元官网网址淲onka,B次元官网网址� $24 million.
2. B次元官网网址淎quaman and the Lost Kingdom,B次元官网网址� $19.5 million.
3. B次元官网网址淢igration,B次元官网网址� $17.2 million.
4. B次元官网网址淭he Color Purple,B次元官网网址� $13 million.
5. B次元官网网址淎nyone But You,B次元官网网址� $9 million.
6. B次元官网网址淭he Boys in the Boat,B次元官网网址� $8.3 million.
7. B次元官网网址淭he Iron Claw,B次元官网网址� $5 million.
8. B次元官网网址淔errari,B次元官网网址� $4.1 million.
9. B次元官网网址淭he Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,B次元官网网址� $2.9 million.
10. B次元官网网址淭he Boy and the Heron,B次元官网网址� $2.5 million.
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