Timothee Chalamet in Wonka(Warner Bros. Pictures image)
December 31, 2023
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reboot Wonka topped the final theatrical weekend of 2023 with an estimated $23.9 million in ticket sales. The prequel, starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, is projected to reach $31 million through New Year’s Day — upping its global box office to $300 million, including $142 million across North American screens.
The weekend tally was enough to hold off DC Extended Universe’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at $19.5 million through Dec. 31, and a projected $26 million through Jan. 1, 2024 — upping the movie, again headlined by Jason Momoa, to $84 million across North American screens and $170 million globally after two weekends.
Universal Pictures/Illumination’s Migration rounded out the weekend box office with an estimated $17.2 million in ticket sales through Dec. 31, and $22.3 million through New Year’s Day.
Warner’s musical adaptation The Color Purple added $13 million in ticket sales through Dec. 31, and a projected $17 million through Jan. 1, 2024.
Columbia Pictures’ comedy Anyone But You made $3.3 million on Friday, $3.7 million on Saturday, and a projected $2 million on Dec. 31, in addition to a projected $2.5 million on Monday. Sony is projecting a four-day holiday weekend total of $11.5 million, bringing its total domestic gross to $27.585 million through Monday.
Finally, Paramount Pictures’ Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which is streaming on Paramount+, grossed$1.1 million across 19 foreign markets. The international box office now stands at $135.5 million, with the theatrical holdover revenue up 23% from last week.
The 2023 North American theatrical box office topped $9 billion in revenue, according to Comscore, which is 20% above 2022’s tally of $7.46 billion, and 97% above Covid-addled 2021 with $4.56 billion.
This year’s main drivers were the irrepressible Barbie and Oppenheimer, which collectively totaled $962.2 million across North American screens, and $2.37 billion globally.