‘Wonka’ is No. 1 at the box office again

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Timothée Chalamet and Wonka topped the box office charts for the third time in its four weekends in theatres. Warner Bros’ family-oriented musical added $14.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday, bringing its total domestic gross to $164.7 million.

“ Wonka is following in the tradition of a film like The Greatest Showman,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. That Hugh Jackman musical opened under $9 million in December of 2017 and went on to gross $435 million globally.

“ Wonka is a perfect crowd-pleaser released at the perfect time, and it’s going to ride that wave into January,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s an opportune time for it to be in the marketplace.”

After finishing 2023 on a high note, 2024 is getting off to a slower start than last year, down around 16 per cent, with the Universal/Blumhouse horror, Night Swim, as the only major new offering in theatres. The movie stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as a couple with a sinister, supernatural swimming pool.

Night Swim drew in an estimated $12 million in its first weekend in 3,250 theaters in North America against a reported $15 million production budget. Including international showings in 36 markets, the flick is heading towards a $17.7 million global debut.

“Not only did it perform really well at the box office, but it’s going to make us look at every swimming pool with a little more trepidation,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution.

Horror movies are largely critic-proof, but with fairly negative reviews and a ‘C’ CinemaScore rating, it’s unlikely to repeat the viral success of last year’s M3GAN.

Warner Bros and Universal placed third and fourth on the charts as well. Warner Bros’ DC superhero movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, earned $10.6 million in its third weekend, bumping its domestic tally just over the $100-million mark. Universal’s animated Migration added $10.3 million, bringing its running domestic total to $77.8 million.

Sony’s Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney romantic comedy Anyone But You landed in fifth place with $9.5 million, up nine per cent from last weekend. The movie has grossed $43.7 million to date.

Cineplexes are full of awards contenders, including The Color Purple, The Iron Claw and Poor Things, and the Golden Globes broadcast on Sunday night might help spread awareness for those and other films.

“The Golden Globes are like a three-hour infomercial for the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “There’s no downside to having a very high-profile telecast that puts a spotlight on the movies.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. Wonka, $14.4 million.

2. Night Swim, $12 million.

3. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, $10.6 million.

4. Migration, $10.3 million.

5. Anyone But You, $9.5 million.

6. The Boys in the Boat, $6 million.

7. The Color Purple, $4.8 million.

8. The Iron Claw, $4.5 million.

9. Ferrari, $2.5 million.

10. Poor Things, $2 million.