As we embark on another Monday, this Sunday marks the first weekend of the year, and the question arises: is it even surprising?
The start of January is always a bit dull, as most Christmas movies strive to gather the last scraps of the box office while moviegoers search for fresh faces. However, the first box office of 2024 fails to offer much that’s new.
Although the January opening weekend of 2020 was strong, it pales in comparison to recent years, and 2024 doesn’t deviate from this trend. Like death and taxes, Wonka securing the top spot in the weekend box office stands out as the third most certain thing in life.
Wonka can definitely compete with the box office longevity of Hunger Games as the Timothée Chalamet film stays at the very pinnacle, completing the four weeks of its box office run, grossing a whopping $14.4M, and might even near the $500M mark on a global level.
Though it would be a false statement if we said there weren’t any new faces, “Night Swim,” a supernatural thriller from horror experts Jason Blum and James Wan, secured the second place in its debut, earning $12 million in the first nationwide release of the year.
Despite a modest international performance, the film’s global total of $17.7 million exceeds its $15 million budget, offering optimistic prospects for profitability, but the quality isn’t really loved by the fans or the critics.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom manage to turn the expectations upside down as the film, though not coming anywhere close to the success of the first one, managed to strengthen its game. Being the last DCEU film ever, Aquaman doesn’t let the boat sink with a bad taste, grossing $10.6M and occupying the third place.
Migration also has no plans to migrate from the box office podium as it occupies the fourth spot for the weekend. Grossing $10.5M, Migration makes a strong statement for Universal’s recent success in the animation market.
Sony’s R-rated Comedy, though far from being a superhit, does leave a strong mark with a staggering $9.5M by the weekend. “Anyone but You” claimed the fifth spot. With a rare 9% sales increase, the film, costing $25 million, has reached $43.7 million in three weeks, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell.
“The Boys In The Boat” and “The Iron Claw” also keep on establishing the dominance of sports films as both collected $6M and $4.5M simultaneously in the weekend box office. “The Iron Claw” also crossed the $20M mark in the box office, becoming a good title for A24 not only in terms of quality but also managing the finances well.
“The Color Purple,” sandwiched by the two sports dramas, manages to occupy the seventh place with a staggering $4.8M. The box office of the film is nothing but a sheer disappointment as it nowhere near meets the expectations, with Wonka and Aquaman dominating the market for WB.
“Ferrari” and “Poor Things” occupy the last two spots of the weekend, and that too with $2.5M and $2M simultaneously. “Poor Things” might get some necessary boost as big awards are coming up, and it is being critically praised at a lot of events. But as of now, the market will definitely be in search of some fresh titles.