Box office led by “Wonka” and “The Color Purple”

Hollywood wrapped up an up-and-down 2023 with “Wonka” reclaiming the top spot at the box office, strong sales for “The Color Purple” and a total of $9 billion in ticket sales that improved from 2022’s total but were down about $2 billion from before. – Epidemic standards.

This year’s New Year’s weekend box office lacked a real blockbuster hit. (This time last year, “Avatar: Water Road” was flooding theaters.) Instead, a wide range of films appeared – among them Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Boys in the Boat, Immigration and Aquaman. “Ferrari,” “Iron Claw” and “Anybody But You” all sought to overtake the year’s top box office grossers.

However, the top choice remained “Wonka,” a musical film directed by Paul King starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka. In its third weekend, the Warner Bros. release collected more An estimated $24 million Friday-Sunday and $31.8 million taking into account Monday holiday estimates. This brings the film’s domestic total to $142.5 million.

That beat out Warner Bros.’ Own Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which, like previous DC superhero films, suffers from difficulties. James Wan’s “Aquaman” sequel starring Jason Momoa earned $19.5 million in its second weekend, bringing its two-week total to $84.7 million, including New Year’s Day estimates.

The original Aquaman film, which eventually grossed $1.1 billion worldwide, grossed $215.4 million during a similar period in 2018 — more than double what the sequel made. Globally, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” added $50.5 million.

Weekend sales tell only part of the story this time of year. From Christmas to New Year’s, when children are out of school and many adults are not working, every day is like Saturday for film distributors.

“The Color Purple,” a musical adaptation of the 2005 Alice Walker novel, debuted Monday and topped all Christmas movies with $18 million. During the week, the Warner Bros. release hit a big hit. $50 million, including $13 million Friday-Sunday. This is a strong start to the crowd-pleasing film starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore rating.

The nearly $100 million production, which features Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones (all from the 1985 film) as producers, should fare well during awards season. It has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards and is expected to be in the Oscar mix.

“We saw this opportunity to expand broadly at Christmas because there were so few films out there and we were confident the film would be well received,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, president of distribution at Warner Bros. In February, the excitement of awards season could help ignite the box office even further.

Despite the unpopular holiday frame, the final 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 this year are up 21% compared to 2022, according to data firm comScore.

However, this mark seemed more easily within reach during Barbenheimer’s heyday in the summer when both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were breaking box office records.

The massive success of these two films changed the course of Hollywood for 2023, but so did the months-long actor and writers strikes. This has led to the postponement of some major films (most notably “Dunes: Part 2”), diminishing an already patchwork fall lineup with few guaranteed ticket sellers. The only exception was the last-minute addition of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which set a new record for concert films.

This year, Hollywood needed Swift and every penny to reach $9 billion. It crossed that threshold on Saturday, with one day to go. However, this total still does not come close to the $11 billion or more that preceded the pandemic. The number of wide releases in 2023 was about 20 films, less than those released in 2019.

Production delays caused by strikes could have a greater impact on 2024. Several important releases have already been postponed until at least next year, including the sequel to “Mission: Impossible” and “Spider-Verse.” After a difficult year for Marvel and a string of unpredictable blockbusters, Hollywood will have to hope it can adapt to changing audience tastes — and that another Barbie is lurking somewhere.

“It’s an $11 billion business. We’re climbing our way back,” Goldstein said. “Next year is going to be a big challenge because of the strikes. “But we see very clearly in 2023, when there are films that people want to see, they come.”

Meanwhile, a range of releases sought to capitalize on the holidays, and most succeeded.

“This set of seven large-scale year-end issuances netted us $9 billion,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at data firm comScore. “This final installment of the year has provided a great insight into what audiences are looking for. They’re big and small films. They’re different types of films.”

Although “Wonka” won best family film this holiday season, Universal Pictures’ “Migration” also appeals to younger audiences. The Illumination animated film, produced by Minions, grossed $17.2 million in 3,839 theaters in its second weekend, and $59.4 million since its opening.

The George Clooney-directed sports drama The Boys in the Boat has grossed $24.6 million since its December 25 opening. The Amazon MGM Studios release, about the American men’s crew at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, was not a huge hit with critics. (58% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences gave it an “A” rating on CinemaScore. The Boys in the Boat, which cost about $40 million to produce, could go on in the coming weeks.

Although romantic comedies have largely moved to streaming platforms, Sony Pictures’ “Anyone But You” proves that the genre can still work in theaters. The film, starring Sidney Sweeney and Glen Powell, collected $9 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $27.6 million through Monday.

Director Sean Durkin’s wrestling drama “The Iron Claw” is also doing well. The A24 film, starring Zac Efron, Holt McCallany and Jeremy Allen White, has grossed $18 million since its Dec. 22 opening, including $5 million in the three-day weekend. The film depicts the tragic story of the Von Erich family.

Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” a project the director has pursued for three decades, has grossed $10.9 million since its theatrical release Monday, including a $4.1 million opening weekend. Although this ranks as one of the biggest debuts for independent distributor Neon, it’s nowhere near what a nearly $100 million film needs to turn a profit.

The film, which stars Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, has been celebrated by critics, but it seems likely to follow Mann’s previous film, 2015’s Blackhat ($19.6 million worldwide against a $70 million budget), as a commercial disappointment.

Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final local figures will be published on Monday.

1. “Wonka” $24 million

2. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $19.5 million.

3. “Immigration” $17.2 million.

4. “The Color Purple” $13 million.

5. “Anyone But You,” $9 million.

6. “The Boys in the Boat” $8.3 million.

7. “Iron Claw,” $5 million.

8. “Ferrari” $4.1 million.

9. “The Hunger Games: Song of Songbirds and Snakes,” $2.9 million.

10. “The Boy and the Heron,” $2.5 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://jakecoyleAP