Box Office Recap: January 5-7, 2024
Wonka opens 2024 atop the weekend box office, while Night Swim struggles to make a big splash.
It was another fine outing for Wonka, as the Christmas holiday-opening prequel enjoyed its third total weekend (and now second consecutive) at the top of the box office chart with a domestic weekend haul of $14+ million, helping it surpass the $450 million mark worldwide. Elsewhere, Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s Night Swim kicked off the 2024 film year struggling to stay afloat with $17+ million globally, a debut that pales in comparison to the $45 million worldwide opening of last January’s M3GAN.
Winning first place, once again, Warner Bros.’s Wonka closed out its fourth weekend in release with $14.43 million domestically, pushing its total domestic run so far to $164.65 million. This marks a -35.8% drop from its prior frame, earning a per-theater average of $3,780 at 3,817 locations. Internationally, the musical fantasy film has earned $301.20 million, which has its total worldwide performance setting eyes on its next target of the half billion milestone with $465.85 million against a reported production budget of $125 million. Considering its combined domestic and international earnings managed to bring in almost another $100 million between this past weekend and the last, Wonka hitting that target now seems more likely than not.
In the runner-up spot, Universal’s Night Swim opened with $12.0 million domestically. The Jason Blum/James Wan produced horror film debuted in 3,250 locations, earning a per-theater average of $3,692. Internationally, the film earned an additional $5.66 million for a worldwide grand opening of $17.66 million against a reported production budget of $15 million, making it the lowest debut for a Blumhouse feature opening in 1,000+ theaters since their 2022 Firestarter remake ($5.9 million)
While its opening already edged out its production budget and slightly exceeded its pre-release projections of $9-11 million, it’s hard not to see this as anything but a disappointment for Universal, especially when compared to their previous Blum and Wan co-produced effort from last year, M3GAN. That film kicked off 2023 with an impressive $30.42 million domestic opening ($45.0 million worldwide) and went on to finish with $180.09 million globally against a modest $12 million production budget. It may not a total box office disaster thanks to it too having a modest budget; however, given the poor critical reception and sub-par “C” CinemaScore from opening weekend moviegoers (a full letter grade down from M3GAN’s solid “B” score), it’s safe to say it won’t be matching M3GAN‘s lifetime performance.
Finishing in third, Warner Bros. and DC Studios’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom took in $10.61 million domestically over its third weekend in release, pushing its current domestic run past the $100 million mark with $100.02 million. Internationally, the DC superhero spectacle took in $234.80 million for a worldwide cume of $334.82 million against a reported production budget ranging between $205-215 million.
In fourth place, Universal and Illumination’s Migration earned $10.25 million domestically over its third weekend in release, which brings its current domestic performance to $77.82 million. This marks a respectable -39.7% drop from its prior frame, earning a per-theater average of $2,761 at 3,712 locations. The animated adventure comedy earned an additional $72.89 million from overseas markets to help bring its total worldwide performance to $150.71 million against a reported production budget of $72 million.
Rounding out the top five, Columbia Pictures’s Anyone but You continued its nice run over its third weekend in release. Receiving a +8.5% boost, the R-rated rom-com earned $9.50 million domestically, bringing its total domestic run so far to $43.71 million. Internationally, the film brought in $14.70 million for a global cume of $58.41 million against a reported production budget of $25 million.
Opening this weekend, Amazon MGM Studios will release their Jason Statham action thriller The Beekeeper; Sony debuts their Biblical satire The Book of Clarence starring Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield; and Paramount Pictures will open their musical teen comedy Mean Girls, a remake of the 2004 Lindsay Lohan comedy of the same name.
* Total estimated worldwide gross listed in parenthesis, new releases listed in bold.
1) Wonka – $14.43 million, Week 4 ($465.85 million)
2) Night Swim – $12.0 million, Week 1 ($17.66 million)
3) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – $10.61 million, Week 3 ($334.82 million)
4) Migration – $10.25 million, Week 3 ($150.71 million)
5) Anyone but You – $9.50 million, Week 3 ($58.41 million)
6) The Boys in the Boat – $6.02, Week 2 ($33.90 million)
7) The Color Purple – $4.77 million, Week 2 ($54.62 million)
8) The Iron Claw – $3.98 million, Week 3 ($24.34 million)
9) Ferrari – $2.51 million, Week 2 ($23.37 million)
10) Poor Things – $2.0 million, Week 5 ($15.21 million)
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