A sequel to “Aquaman” dominates the holiday weekend box office as new films premiere on Christmas

The weekend before Christmas Monday saw a number of new releases, with “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” leading the pack. According to studio estimates released on Sunday, the DC and Warner Bros. superhero sequel starring Jason Momoa made an estimated $28.1 million in its first three days of release at 3,706 locations across North America. It is expected to generate almost $40 million in domestic ticket sales by Monday.

This will be remembered as a subdued pre-holiday box office total despite a plethora of new options, such as the family-friendly animated feature “Migration,” the R-rated romance comedy “Anyone But You,” the wrestling family tragedy “The Iron Claw,” and a ghostly tearjerker in “All of Us Strangers.”

When Christmas Eve falls on a big weekend day, it is never good for Hollywood or movie theaters. However, the last time Christmas fell on a Monday was in 2017, and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” topped the four-day charts with $71.5 million from its second weekend.

A number of eagerly awaited new movies will be joining them on Christmas Day, which frequently draws sizable crowds back to the cinemas.

Among them is the lavish musical version of “The Color Purple,” which starred Corey Hawkins, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, and Fantasia Barrino Taylor. Producer Oprah Winfrey, who portrayed Sofia in the 1985 movie based on Alice Walker’s book, is involved.

“Sunday Morning,” Henson described the message of the film: “As long as you got a beat in your heart, there’s time to make your wildest dreams come true.”

Christmastime will also see the release of two films: Michael Mann’s racing drama “Ferrari,” starring Shailene Woodley, Adam Driver, and Penelope Cruz; and George Clooney’s adaptation of the rowing drama “The Boys in the Boat,” which is based on Daniel James Brown’s best-selling book and tells the story of the American oarsmen’s heroic journey at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

The period between Christmas and New Year’s, which is usually a profitable one for movie theaters, should help everyone.

However, none can match the box office success of some of the largest films, such as “Avatar,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Social media users were aware that Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars film “Rogue Squadron” was scheduled to release this weekend.

According to Comscore senior media researcher Paul Dergarabedian, “seven openers in four days is unusual.”

Production expenditures for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” are reported to have been close to $200 million, excluding expenses for marketing and promotion. With international predictions as high as $80 million through Monday, “Aquaman” is expected to make its global debut at a cost of $120 million.
In 2018, the first movie took in $67.8 million at its premiere and went on to gross nearly $1.2 billion worldwide. Dergarabedian pointed out that the first movie likewise brought in over 70% of its total revenue from overseas box office.

With the release of “Aquaman,” the studio is phasing out its slate of DC superhero movies in preparation for James Gunn’s vision for the future. It has been a difficult, transitional year for the franchise, filled with box office letdowns such as “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash,” and “Blue Beetle.” The last “holdover” from the previous government was “Aquaman 2”.

Theaters desperately required a plethora of blockbusters, and Warner Bros.’s “Wonka,” the second-best film of the weekend, and “The Color Purple,” one of the biggest Christmas openings, were among its other releases. This was especially true in the absence of a new Walt Disney Company or Paramount release. Warner Bros. is probably going to have three slots in the top five by Monday.

“Warners has something for everybody” said Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s head of domestic distribution. “With lots of holiday time to see all three.”

“Wonka,” which made an estimated $17.7 million over the course of the second weekend and $26.1 million including Monday, brought its total domestic earnings to $83.6 million.

The PG-rated animated adventure “Migration,” which tells the story of a family of mallard ducks moving south, was ranked third by Illumination and Universal. Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, and Kumail Najiani are among the voice actors. Through Sunday, it made an estimated $12.3 million from 3,761 locations in North America; by the end of Monday, that figure is probably going to rise to $17.1 million. With children not in school, its estimated $34.3 million global total as of Sunday could rise.

Jim Orr, head of domestic distribution at Universal, stated, “‘Migration’ flew into theaters with really, really exciting audience reactions pointing to what we think won’t just be a fantastic run throughout the holidays but also into the next year.”

Except for Disney’s early-year re-releases of some of its Pixar films, no new direct competition will be available until March 8 with the release of “Kung Fu Panda 4”.

The romantic comedy “Anyone But You” came in fourth place with an estimated $6.2 million from its first three days, and it is predicted to reach $9 million including Monday. The weekend box office profits fell off considerably further down the list. The film, which was directed by Will Gluck and was somewhat based on “Much Ado About Nothing,” received mixed reviews from critics. It received a B+ CinemaScore from viewers.

“Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire,” an action movie in Telugu that only played in 802 cinemas but generated $5.5 million, came in fifth place. Within the top 10, there was “Dunki,” a Hindi-language film from India, and two Japanese films, “Godzilla Minus One” and “The Boy and the Heron.”

“The Iron Claw,” an A24 film about the tragic Von Erich wrestling family, debuted on 2,774 screens on the strength of positive reviews that praised Zac Efron’s leading role.

“No matter where the box office ends up on the 31st, whether it hits $9 billion or is just close, this is just a boom time to be a moviegoer,” Dergarabedian stated. “The top 10 reads like a greatest hits of every type of cinema.”

The Comscore-estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at cinemas in the United States and Canada are listed below. Tuesday will see the announcement of the final domestic numbers, which include Christmas Day.