Cinemas had reason to sing this weekend, as the holiday season kicked off with Wonka, hailing from Paddington director Paul King and Harry Potter producer David Heyman. This was a Trojan musical, as the promotional materials didn’t really indicate that this was a musical. This was probably because musicals haven’t done well in the past few years. For instance, In the Heights opened at $11.5M, and West Side Story premiered at $10.5M. Wonka stomped those with a $39M debut. Worldwide, it took in close to $150M.
It helps that this movie is charming viewers with an A- CinemaScore, 4½ stars, and 85% positive via PostTrak, a Rotten Tomatoes critical score of 84%, and an audience score of 90%. That should give it good legs over Christmas, serving as one of the few all-ages offerings.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is probably winding down as a slew of new titles are coming out soon, but it’s still hanging in there. This prequel earned an additional $5.8M this weekend, bringing its domestic total to $145.2M.
Last weekend’s winner, The Boy and the Heron slipped to #3, generating an additional $5.1M. It’s back-to-back with another Japanese import, Godzilla Minus One, which earned $4.88M to land at #4.
At #5 is Universal/Dreamworks’ Trolls Band Together which made an additional $4M.
Here are the numbers:
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- Wonka (Warner Bros.) – 3-day $39M/ Wk 1
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Lionsgate) – 3-day $5.8M/ Total $145.2M/ Wk 5
- The Boy and the Heron (GKIDs) – 3-day $5.1M/ Total $23.1M/ Wk 2
- Godzilla Minus One (Toho) – 3day $4.88M/ Total $34.2M/ Wk 3
- Trolls Band Together (Universal/Dreamworks) – 3-day $4M/ Total $88.7M/ Wk 5
In the days leading up to Christmas, people tend to be busy, but once the festivities are over, a lot of people flock to the cinema, usually entire families. As stated, Wonka appeals to all ages and should play well. But what else will be available?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom marks the final entry from the DCEU. After a string of flops, do audiences still care? It’s possible, as the first Aquaman is the only DCEU movie to make over $1 billion, but it was bolstered by foreign markets. Lost Kingdom won’t be opening in China, which is increasingly exclusionary to Western projects, or in Russia, due to the current war with Ukraine. But there may still be some interest among domestic audiences, despite their lack of interest in The Flash, Blue Beetle, etc.
And then there is another musical. As mentioned, many musicals have stumbled in recent years and perhaps Wonka is the one that audiences will gravitate toward.
But as an alternative, there is The Color Purple, based on the Broadway musical, which was itself based on Stephen Spielberg’s non-musical 1985 film. This adaptation is getting great buzz and stars Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks are nominated for Golden Globes. That could help push this picture, especially for those who want something a little more serious.
Aquaman gets a jump on the competition by opening on Friday with Thursday previews. The Color Purple won’t arrive until Christmas Day, Monday.
What will you be checking out this holiday?
