Paul King’s Wonka opened with a tasty and lifting $39 million to cap off the third-to-last weekend of the 2023 calendar year. It is a worthwhile start and an easy one to pass the bar for further legs. An A- from CinemaScore and good reviews from critics could easily have it reach around $200 million domestically. Shockingly enough, that would be around the $206.4 domestic run of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp.
This is perhaps that “golden time” of the year (outside of select moments in the summer season) to get a chance at some hefty legs. Yes, you’ve had loathed Hobbit prequels and Star Wars 9 that folks still showed up for, while Jumanji: The Next Level rose to $315 million domestically from a $59 million debut, and Avatar: The Way of Water stomped its way to $2.32 billion worldwide. The first Aquaman got the benefit of legging out to over a billion dollars, so the question remains whether its sequel next week can do the same or is a repeat of the fatigued genre this year. Timothee Chalamet is a rising prospect, as he will be helming Dune: Part Two rescheduled for next year, so another nod towards this feature’s potential.
Keep in mind if Warner Brothers can keep this feature as a sole entity that’s “less conventional,” it’s something that has worked much for them in the past (a la Joker, Gravity, Barbie, Elvis, and Magic Mike). Already over $150 million worldwide, yours indeed would not be shocked if it could leg out to $400 million globally for a delicious holiday win. And who knows if Aquaman 2 will underperform next weekend; Wonka can stand the test.
In other news, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has earned $5.8 million in its fifth weekend, bringing it to $145 million domestically and $290 million worldwide. This is a continuing win for the genre and Lionsgate, and legs for a blockbuster pre-Thanksgiving. The Boys and the Heron dipped 61% in its second weekend with $5.17 million, keeping it the most significant original anime feature in domestic earnings. And Godzilla Minus One took in $4.88 million in its third weekend.
Trolls Band Together has passed The Marvels domestically (that could be touted as something impressive, considering the fall from grace the Brie Larson-led sequel had), and Wish has earned “just $126 million worldwide,” another disappointing number for Disney’s latest animated feature. Newcomer Christmas and the Chosen: Holy Night took in $2.925 million, while Napoleon took in $2.22 million in its fourth weekend.
Next weekend, we will see the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Migration, Anyone But You, The Iron Claw, and Freud’s Last Session.
