By Who could have ever imagined that Wonka would debut at number one? It’s almost as if a legacy IP based on a childhood classic is a surefire way to make money! Snarkiness aside, Warner Bros.’ latest adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic managed to debut at the domestic box office to the tune of $39 million. Internationally, it was an even bigger hit, drawing in $112.4 million to the tune of $151.4 million total. That’s some pure imagination.
As for the rest of the top 10, it’s almost becoming a running gag at this point that I’ll write “They are holdovers from previous weeks.” Apart from Wonka, never really managed to do much business here. I imagine part of that is because of the upcoming holiday season, but it’s very bizarre when the second-place film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, doesn’t even make 1/6th of what the first-place one did. $5.8 million isn’t bad for a film that has been out for a month, though.
Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron is still trucking along, though it fell off 60% from its debut. Still, another $5.1 million is really great for an anime, not to mention one that was already a big hit in its native Japan. Godzilla Minus One is also still doing solid business, taking in $4.8 million this weekend after its third weekend.
Here are the top 10 films for the weekend of December 15-17, 2023. All totals listed are domestic:
- Wonka – $39 million
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – $5.8 million
- The Boy and the Heron – $5.1 million
- Godzilla Minus One – $4.8 million
- Trolls Band Together – $4 million
- Wish – $3.2 million
- Napoleon – $2.2 million
- Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé – $2 million
- Poor Things – $1.2 million
- The Shift – $1 million
