Beyonce is putting a ring on it with numbers this weekend, having Renaissance top with $21 million on the first weekend of December 2023. Slightly missing the mark of Michael Jackson’s This Is It opening ($23.2 million) and staggeringly far from Taylor Swift’s recent concert feature debut, The Eras Tour ($92.9 million), this concert film marks another win for AMC, and marks the first time in two decades a feature earned over $20 million the weekend post-Thanksgiving (last time was in 2003 with The Last Samurai). AMC has quietly benefitted from these concert releases when there’s been a relative downward spiral in blockbusters moviegoers want to see (outside of Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Five Nights at Freddy’s recently). If there’s one thing we can praise the box office for this weekend, it’s the diverse selection of films that folks can take more time to appreciate (or continue having fun with).
The Hunger Games prequel, as mentioned before, continues to hold decently well since its Thanksgiving debut, almost about to eclipse $250 million worldwide. A solid effort from the lesser-known cast while solidifying its identity and ROI, and another indication folks are willing to see more of this IP. Lionsgate was probably betting on a lot with respect to its counterparts, but everyone onboard can have their cake and eat it, too. Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth are no Jennifer Lawrence or Josh Hutcherson (for now).
In third place, the surprisingly great Godzilla Minus One took in $11 million domestically and $23 million overseas. Refreshingly nostalgic while much more intriguing with its social commentary, this kaiju action feature deserves some nominations for next year’s awards. Trolls Band Together continues to leg out with $7.6 million in its third weekend and is on pace to push towards $200 million worldwide. Disney’s Wish nabbed fifth place with $7.3 million; Disney has ended its year with another feature to tally onto its losing streak, as this ain’t another case of Elemental, and folks will not show up enough for it to leg out properly. Napoleon joins the same boat as Wish, with a similar dip in its second weekend, and not enough to justify its price tag of $200 million.
Silent Night tanked in its debut with $3 million, going below expectations and receiving middling reviews. John Woo’s non-dialogue feature shows exuberance in presentation but needs more pomp to celebrate its intentions. PVOD could salvage its shortcomings, so this remains to be seen. Newcomers Animal and The Shift opened with $6.14 million and $4.358 million, respectively.
Finally, The Marvels crashed and burned, not even making $200 million worldwide in its fourth weekend. Disney needs a solemn break from superheroes and to bring the MCU back to its roots of why it became a box office king in the first place. Yours indeed is shaky to see where Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom caps off the abysmal superhero year, but that’ll be another discussion. Bob Iger needs to stop blaming the issue on COVID and accept that audiences have become deaf to mediocre products when they want something refreshing and audacious in the ever-growing genre.
Next weekend sees the release of Poor Things, Origin, and The Cello.
