The Big Picture
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom dropped to second place, while Wonka took first place at the box office for the final weekend of 2023.
- The Color Purple had a strong Christmas debut, opening with $18.15 million.
- January brings new releases including Night Swim, Mean Girls, The Beekeeper, and The Book of Clarence.
The new year has finally arrived, with the final 2023 releases bringing a few box office shake-ups heading into 2024. After a debut week at #1, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom swiftly dropped to second place. However, Warner Bros. still remained on top, with the Timotheé Chalamet-led Wonka snagging first place in the final weekend of 2023. Titles such as Migration, Anyone But You, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes remained in the top 10 domestically. New films like The Color Purple, The Boys in the Boat, and Ferrari joined as Christmas day releases.
Wonka made its theatrical debut on December 15 and made a big impression on audiences in its first week. It saw a drop in the following week or so, with a Christmas spike. Since then, it’s held relatively steady, ending 2023 with approximately $23.9 million at the domestic box office across the holiday weekend — it’s projected to hit the $31 million mark by the end of the day. In total, the reboot garnered 142.76 million domestically, with a worldwide gross sitting at approximately $387.1 million. For the weekend, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom followed with an additional $19.5 million domestically. The DC superhero feature ended the year on a lower note, though, with $84.67 million total for domestic and $258.2 worldwide.
Animated feature Migration held steady in the #3 position, raking in approximately $17.2 million domestically over the weekend. The film is still a fresh debut, having only premiered about a week and a half ago on December 22. As it headed into the holidays, Migration was a favorite amongst the animated theatrical releases and is currently the top contender for families as Disney’s Wish moves into the home stretch of its run with around $176.8 million. Domestically, Migration ended 2023 with $59.39 million total and a worldwide gross of $105.87 million.
Musical Remake ‘The Color Purple’ Scored Historic Christmas Day Debut
This Christmas was one filled with song, as the newest rendition of The Color Purple was officially released in theaters. Adapted from the Alice Walker novel and stage musical, the feature boasted a strong Christmas debut. It opened with $18.15 million, the second-biggest Christmas opening after 2009’s Sherlock Holmes. Going into 2024, The Color Purple garnered another $13 million, taking the #4 position for the New Year’s weekend. It is also the third Warner Bros. film to break the top five at the domestic box office. Biopics also seemed to resonate with moviegoers this past weekend, as Christmas releases The Boys in the Boat ($8.3 million) and Ferrari ($4.06 million) claimed #6 and #8, respectively. The Iron Claw ($5.04 million), which was released just a few days earlier on December 22, landed in seventh.
Looking ahead, January has some exciting new releases on the horizon with a blend of genres. Horror is already in the mix, as Night Swim releases in theaters on January 5. The following week, music, comedy, and action vie for audience attention as the musical remake of Mean Girls, Jason Statham-led The Beekeeper, and Jeymes Samuel‘s The Book of Clarence head to theaters.
Wonka
Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ‘Wonka’ tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
- Release Date
- December 15, 2023
- Director
- Paul King
- Rating
- PG
- Runtime
- 116 minutes
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Genres
- Fantasy , Adventure , children , Family
- Writers
- Simon Farnaby , Paul King , Roald Dahl
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
