‘Wonka’ Wins The Box Office For Final Weekend Of 2023 With $33 Million Domestically

Despite the usual hustle and bustle of Christmas and the holiday season, the box office hasn’t been as lucrative as in recent years for the key December weekend. With no major new releases this weekend, films already circulating are settling in for the final weekend of the year. 

The top spot is one of pure imagination this weekend, with Wonka taking home the gold. Although it trailed Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom last weekend, this weekend saw a 32% improvement in its numbers on Friday, adding $33 million to its weekend gross. Wonka became the ideal choice for moviegoing families this week, phishing it over $100 million, with $119 million domestically. 

Second place belongs to Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, suffering a 51% drop from its numbers for Friday. The four-day gross for the King of Atlantis is shaping up to be $26 million, a far cry from the success of its predecessor. While Lost Kingdom has only been able to swim up to $65 million, the first film crossed that in its opening weekend and hit $335 million domestically in its run. 

Migration flies into third, adding $21.5 million to its total. As Variety points out, Migration has been a bit of a letdown at the box office, but it still carries some promise for a 17% increase in its Friday numbers. So far, the total is pushing close to $60 million, getting it closer to making back the $70 million budget. 

Fourth goes to WB again, with The Color Purple at $16.2 million, giving the studio three of the top five slots this weekend. Fifth goes to George Clooney’s Boys In The Boat, making $11.587 million this weekend.

Box office chart, thanks to Deadline:

1. Wonka (WB) 3-Day $25M, 4-Day $33M/ Total $143.6M/ Wk 3
2. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (WB) 3-Day $19.4M, 4-Day $26M/ Total $84.3M/ Wk 2
3. Migration (Illumination/Universal) 3-Day $16.67M, 4-Day $26M/ Total $58.5M/ Wk 2 
4. The Color Purple (WB) 3-Day $12.2M, 4-Day $16.2M/ Total $48.4M/ Wk 1
5. Boys In The Boat (AMZ MGM) 3-Day $8.68M, 4-Day $11.587M/ Total $25.1M/ Wk 1
6. Anyone But You (Sony) 3-Day $8.25M, 4-Day $10.56M/ Total $26.6M/ Wk 2
7. The Iron Claw (A24) 3-Day $4.8M, 4-Day $6.2M/ Total $17.5M/ Wk 2
8. Ferrari (NEON) 3-Day $4.1M, 4-Day $5.4M/ Total $12.2M/ Wk 2
9. Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes (LG) 3-Day $3M, 4-Day $3.78M/ Total $160.7M/ Wk 7
10. Poor Things (Sea) 3-Day $2.3M, 4-Day $3.08M/ Total $8M/ Wk 4