It’s a new year but a holdover from 2023 continued to rule the box office while the first new wide release of 2024 did OK business but was nothing to scream about.
Wonka maintained the top spot at the box office with a gross of $14.1 million, down 37.4 percent from the previous weekend, which was the New Year’s Day holiday. That’s a pretty solid hold for a film that was the true winner of the Christmas holiday season since opening four weeks ago. Even with other family competition from Universal’s Migration, Wonka has held its own and has turned into a true hit for Warner Bros. Don’t be surprised if the studio tries to give the sequel treatment to this prequel endeavor.
To date, Wonka has grossed $165.2 million domestically and it’s also a big hit abroad with a worldwide gross of $468.7 million. $500 million globally is now in its sights and it’s already the highest-grossing film of Timothee Chalamet’s career, topping the $108.3 million domestic and $402 million worldwide gross of Dune. That film was a day-and-date release in theaters and on streaming due to the pandemic so it didn’t get to have a true theatrical life. Chalamet has Dune: Part Two coming in March so we’ll have to wait and see if Wonka will remain his top pic or if the highly anticipated sci-fi follow-up will dethrone it.
Debuting in second is Night Swim with a gross of $11.8 million. This isn’t a bad start for the Blumhouse/Atomic Monster collaboration, two companies that officially merged ahead of the film’s release. The film carries a $15 million budget so it will make Night Swim easily profitable, even if it’s small gains, but the opening doesn’t come anywhere near their collaboration from this time last year when they opened M3GAN to $30.4 million on its way to $95.1 million domestic and $180 million worldwide. Night Swim will benefit this weekend from the MLK holiday but the drop in weekend two is likely to be steep due to its lukewarm response from critics (23 percent rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences so far (44 percent audience score and a “C” CinemaScore from opening day audiences).
In third place, we find Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with a gross of $10.6 million, down 42 percent from the previous weekend. Not a bad hold but this final film of the DCEU is essentially dead in the water due to its massive budget (a reported $205 million not including marketing costs). Reports say it needs to gross at least $410 million to possibly break even and now it’s sitting with a domestic take of $100.7 million and a worldwide take of $337.2 million. It could limp to that figure but given that its predecessor was a billion-dollar grosser, it’s safe to say that the DCEU is ending with a whimper. That being said, of the DCEU releases from 2023 (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle), the Aquaman sequel has outgrossed all of them globally so there is some good news.
Dropping to fourth place is Migration with a gross of $9.9 million, down 41.2 percent from the previous weekend. As kids head back to school, this is one of the films that might suffer the most from their lack of attention but it’s still holding its own all things considered. Domestically the film has pulled in $78.1 million and worldwide it has flown to $153 million, with overseas holds being particularly strong with a slim decline of just 18 percent.
Rounding out the top five is Anyone But You with a gross of of $9.7 million, showing the only increase on the chart with a bump of 11.4 percent. Sony Pictures banked on Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, and their combustible chemistry and it has paid off. After a soft start at $6 million when it opened on December 22, the film has found its audience and it looks like more people are discovering it. During a time when romantic comedies aren’t a sure thing at the box office, Anyone But You makes a strong case for them. It should also be noted that the increase in gross happened without a rise in theater count for the film. Very impressive. To date, the $25 million rom-com has grossed $44.9 million domestically and $59.6 million worldwide.
Unfortunately, the box office was down 18 percent compared to the first weekend of 2023 when M3GAN surprised with a $30.4 million opening but things should recover a bit over MLK weekend when the Mean Girls movie musical adaptation opens. Already tracking in the $27 million range and gaining on social media, that should represent the first big hit of the year.
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?
Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.
