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FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Warner Bros.’ Wonka is looking at a $12M-$13M Friday, including those $3.5M previews from last night, on its way to a $35M+ start at 4,203 locations. That’s a respectable opening for this time of year when moviegoers are still sidelined by holiday activities, and it’s a solid start for a feature musical, currently head of the 3-day of 2008’s Mamma Mia! ($27.7M) and Hairspray ($27.8M), in fact after such musical missteps as In the Heights ($11.5M), West Side Story ($10.5M) and Dear Evan Hansen ($7.4M), Wonka is definite comeback for feature musicals.
Social Media analytics corp RelishMix reports a social media universe for the Timothee Chalamet movie across X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram of 326.4M, boosted by a dedicated TikTok channel plus 55% of engagement on YouTube videos. That SMU is higher than such movies as Mary Poppins Returns (229.4M), yet below Cruella (424.7M).
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2.) Hunger Games: Songbirds & Snakes (LG) 3,291 theaters, Fri $1.65M (-37%), 3-day $6M (-35%), total $145.4M/Wk 5
3.) Boy and the Heron (GKIDs) 2,325 theaters, Fri $1.2M (-79%), 3-day $4.7M (-64%), Total $22.8M/Wk 2
4.) Godzilla Minus One (Toho) 2,622 theaters, Fri $1.2M (-45%), 3day $4.4M (-48%), Total $33.7M/Wk 3
5) Trolls Band Together (Uni/DWA) 3,154 theaters, Friday $900K, 3-day $4M (-34%) Total $88.7M/Wk 5
FRIDAY AM: 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.
Fathom launched Christmas With the Chosen on Tuesday at 2,128 theaters earning $689K on opening day, $486K Wednesday and $560K Thursday for a running total of $1.7M.
AMC’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce came back for her third Thursday yesterday, after resting Monday through Wednesday, grossing $485K for a running cume of $29M.