Photos via Cineworld, Cinemablend
The holiday season is a great time for movie releases. The breaks from school and work and the proximity to Oscars nominations make the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s a valuable target for studios looking to release new films.
In the past, films like “Little Women,” “Coco,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” have been released in this period. This past year, Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” an Oscar hopeful, was released to streaming on Dec. 20. The musicals “Wonka” and “The Color Purple” also debuted in December, as well as the superhero blockbuster “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
Despite strong openings from Christmas Day releases, “Wonka” remained the top film at 2023’s holiday box office.
Releasing the weekend of Dec. 22-24, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” inched along with a disappointing $28 million opening weekend. On Christmas Day, “The Color Purple” debuted at the No. 1 spot with an $18 million opening, out-earning George Clooney’s “The Boys in the Boat” and Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” which earned $6 million and $3 million, respectively.
“Wonka” soon returned to the top, regaining its No. 1 position on Dec. 26 and holding it through the new year.
The weekend of Dec. 29-31 saw drops from all three Christmas Day releases. “Ferrari” fell to No. 8, grossing only $4 million. Its $21 million worldwide gross is lackluster compared to its $95 million budget.
The New Year’s Day holiday proved beneficial to the box office, with all top five movies getting a jump in their gross from the day prior. As 2024 has rolled in, “Wonka” remains at the top and continues its highly successful box office run.
A fun note for the new year – “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” are still making money at the theaters in 2024. On Jan. 1, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” earned $865 and $610 in 25 and 16 theaters respectively.
SZNS MAG 