“Wonka” once again leads the box office; 2023 sales reach US$9 billion

hollywood concluded a 2023 of ups and downs with “Wonka” again in the first place in the box officegood assistance for “The Color Purple” and total ticket sales of $9 billion that exceeded 2022 revenues but were about $2 billion below pre-2022 levels. pandemic.

This New Year’s weekend there was no real blockbuster film in theaters. These days last year, “Avatar: The Way of Water” was on display.

Now, films on various topics—including “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, The Boys in the Boat”, “Migration”, “Ferrari”, “The Iron Claw” and “Anyone But You”— tried to stand out during the time of year that tends to be the most lucrative at the box office.

However, the most popular remained “Wonka”, Paul King’s musical starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka. In its third week in theaters, the Warner Bros. film grossed approximately $24 million from Friday to Sunday, and is estimated to earn $ 31.8 million on Monday’s holiday. With this, the film will have added a total of 142.5 million dollars in the United States.

That surpassed “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” also from Warner Bros., which like previous DC superhero films, is struggling to attract audiences. The sequel to “Aquaman”directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa, grossed $19.5 million in its second weekend of release, bringing it to a modest $84.7 million, which already includes estimates for the day of release. New Year.

“The Color Purple” —Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation of the 2005 stage musical, itself based on the novel by Alice Walker—debuted Monday and led all films on Christmas with $18 million. During the week, the Warner Bros. film has added US$50 million, including US$13 million from Friday to Sunday. It’s a good start for this film starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks.

Although there was no high-grossing film this Christmas season, the proceeds in the last weekend of the year pushed the sector to exceed US$ 9 billion at the United States and Canada box offices in 2023, the first time that has occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ticket sales increased during the year twenty-one% compared to 2022, according to data firm Comscore.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at theaters in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore. The final figures for those two countries will be released on Monday.

1. “Wonka,” $24 million.

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

3. “Migration”, US$17.2 million.

4. “The Color Purple”, US$13 million.

5. “Anyone But You”, US$9 million.

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

7. “The Iron Claw”, US$5 million.

8. “Ferrari”, US$4.1 million.

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

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