'Wonka' Set to the Rule the Box Office This Weekend
by EG
Wonka, the new prequel to previous adaptation's of Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will probably be the top movie in theaters this weekend. The film, which stars Timothee Chalamet, isn't likely to be a blockbuster, but it enters theaters during a particularly quiet stretch and should have no problem outrunning the competition from holdovers this week. Read on for details.
Via Deadline.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka made $3.5 million in previews from 3,500 locations. The Timothée Chalamet feature musical expands to 4,203 theaters with an eye on $30M-$40M opening.
Interestingly enough comp wise, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse opened in the same mid-December spot back in 2018, and notched a $3.5M Thursday preview before a three-day of $35M. That pic legged out to a 5x-plus multiple at the domestic box office with $190.2M.
Wonka is one of three big pics coming from Warners in which the Burbank studio is expected to own the top three spots at the domestic box office during Christmas week. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives next weekend with a $45M-$50M four-day outlook, and The Color Purple on December 25 with an opening-day projection of $8M.
Wonka is arguably the first Hollywood tentpole to get a fire-breathing, six-week in advance marketing campaign rollout. Other movies such as Lionsgate’s The Hunger Game: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, even though it had a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, only had about a week’s runway to trot out their cast at the last minute following the end of the actors strike in November. Disney’s The Marvels had two days with its cast before opening.
Wonka is 83% certified fresh with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Early audience exits on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak are solid at 84% positive and 63% definite recommend with 5 stars from parents and kids under 12. Last night’s audience leaned 52% men, 48% women with 33% guys over 25, 30% women over 25, 22% women under 25, and 16% men under 25.
Following Chalamet’s Best Actor Oscar nomination for Call Me by Your Name in 2018, there’s been a mad push by Hollywood to make him a box office star. At $41M, Warner Bros./Legendary’s Dune remains his top opener stateside with $41M; that pic’s theatrical day-and-date debut with HBO Max crimping its full commercial potential. Several sources believe that Dune: Part Two during the first weekend of March 2024 is the tentpole that will finally fire up the year.
Elsewhere at the box office, Gkids’ and Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron did $970K yesterday, -26% from Wednesday for a first week of $18M at 2,205 theaters. The Hayao Miyazaki directed animated film is expected to ease around -50% this weekend with around $6M+.
Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes at 3,665 theaters saw a fourth Thursday of $830K, -12% from Wednesday, for a fourth week of $13.1M and running total of $139.4M.
Toho’s Godzilla Minus One booked at 2,540 theaters saw a second Thursday of $750K, -22% from Wednesday, ending week 2 with $12.3M, and a running cume of $29.3M.
Get the rest of the story at Deadline.