‘Aquaman 2’ starts with just $38 million to $40 million – The Hollywood Reporter

Christmas receipts at the domestic box office lag behind 2022, a troubling statistic as Hollywood studio owners and theater owners prepare to start a tumultuous year on its head.

As it stands, North American combined ticket sales for the weekend (December 22-25) are down 7 percent from last year, though the gap could close somewhat if traffic images emerge in earnest on Christmas afternoon. As soon as it appears. Unwrapped. (Studios never like December 25 to fall on a Monday, since many consumers use the weekend to finish final Christmas preparations.)

Either way, James Wan Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom It’s headed for one of the lowest starts in the history of the DC Cinematic Universe with an expected four-day domestic gross of between $38 million to $40 million, including a $27 million to $28 million three-day cume. The good news: He can still get first place. Overseas, the film earned $80.1 million from 72 markets — including a promising $30.4 million in China, where it had the biggest start of the year for a Hollywood superhero film.

The big-budget tentpole, which re-teams Wan and star Jason Momoa, was largely panned by critics and only received a B CinemaScore from audiences. The sequel, which has had a tumultuous road to the big screen, marks the end of an era as new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran are set to reboot the DC Universe in 2025. Superman: Legacy. (Momoa himself has said he won’t be there Aquaman Threqul.)

In 2018, the first Aquaman It was the king of the year-end holiday when it swam to a three-day opening of $67.9 million over the weekend of December 21-23. Through Christmas Day – a Tuesday of that year – its domestic tally reached $105.4 million (including several million from special sneak peeks the previous weekend). The film went on to earn $335.1 million domestically and $1.15 billion worldwide, the best showing ever for a DCEU title, not adjusted for inflation.

Wan’s film lends more credence to the theory of superhero fatigue. Even the most ardent fans get weary. Aquaman 2 It also trails the recent box office disaster opening of $46.1 million Wonders From competing Marvel Studios.

A slew of other films also opened on Friday, and the Warner empire is feeling particularly generous. The studio has at least three films for year-end holiday events: Aquaman 2; Wonka, which opened last weekend; And Violet. It’s a bold undertaking, to say the least, as the last two are musicals. (Likes People of colorseveral other holiday titles waited until Monday to publish, including Boys in the boat And Ferrari.)

And in another test of the appetite for theatrical animation, especially original stories, Illumination and Universal are contributing Immigration To the holiday mix for families.

The animated tentpole, which received a CinemaScore award, is expected to earn $12.5 million for the weekend from 3,761 theaters and $17.2 million for the four days, ahead of what some tracking services expected but still the lowest start in Illumination history. No adjustment for inflation. The film is doing muted business so far overseas, with foreign grosses expected to reach $22 million from 43 markets through Sunday.

Final verdict on Immigration It will not be released until New Year’s weekend, as there is no more lucrative stretch of the year for a film than the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Immigration He is eyeing a third-place finish at the end of the week behind him Aquaman And Wonka. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Wonka On his way to earning an estimated $28 million.

Columbia/Sony Thriller romantic comedy Anyone but you It ranks fourth with an estimated $8 million from 3,055 theaters for a four-day run. The new pic, starring Sidney Sweeney and Glen Powell, received a B+ CinemaScore. (No studio likes anything other than some A-grade variation of most movies.)

Females make up nearly 80 percent of all customers who buy tickets to see the romantic comedy, while males make up at least 66 percent of A24’s Zac Efron-led wrestling family drama. Iron clawAnother title for a Christmas marquee movie. Iron claw It’s on pace to open at $6.1 million, which is also a little ahead of tracking.

At the specialty box office, Searchlight Pictures opened with the popular Andrew Haigh film We are all strangers In four locations in New York and Los Angeles. The awards contender is looking for a four-day site average of $43,000, one of the best averages of the year.

Final numbers for the four-day weekend will be released on Tuesday.

December 24, 8 am: Updated with revised weekend estimates.
December 24 at 8:10 am: Updated with revised estimates.

This story was originally published on December 23 at 8:23 a.m