By It should come as no surprise to anyone that the number one movie at the box office this weekend was Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Having generated a tremendous amount of buzz in Japan over the last six months, the film has been hyped up as a farewell to the legendary creator, even though he changed his mind following the film’s debut in Japan.
The Boy and the Heron took in $12.9 million domestically, part of which was aided by the film seeing a release in the IMAX format. Added to the already ludicrous $74 million internationally, Studio Ghibli’s latest is set to become another smash hit. While it may not reach the astronomical highs of previous entries, Miyazaki is likely very pleased with the result.
Elsewhere in the top 10, we have a bunch of holdovers from previous weeks as there weren’t any new releases. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came in second with $9.4 million. Godzilla Minus One racked up another impressive $8.3 million to land in third place. Trolls Band Together is somehow still hanging in there, adding $6.2 million to its total.
It’s really the films after this point that don’t seem to have much chance. Disney’s Wish earned $5.3 million this weekend at number five, but with a projected budget of $175-200 million, the movie is unlikely to turn a profit. Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé also saw a staggering 77% dropoff, though an extra $5 million isn’t bad for a concert film. Napoleon, as well, had a larger-than-average decline and only drew an additional $4.1 million.
Here are the top 10 movies for the weekend of December 8-10, 2023. All totals listed are domestic:
- The Boy and the Heron – $12.9 million
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – $9.4 million
- Godzilla Minus One – $8.3 million
- Trolls Band Together – $6.2 million
- Wish – $5.3 million
- Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé – $5 million
- Napoleon – $4.1 million
- Waitress: The Musical – $3.2 million
- Animal – $.2.4 million
- The Shift – $2.1 million
