LOS ANGELES – Fantasy musical Wonka bounced back to the top of the North American box office this New Year’s weekend as an otherwise pallid film year came to an end, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Dec 31.
The film took in an estimated US$24 million (S$31.7 million) for the three-day weekend in the United States and Canada, and US$31.8 million when New Year’s Day was included. It has passed the US$140 million mark domestically and taken in US$244 million globally.
That strong showing came at the end of an off year for Hollywood, with numbers roughly 20 per cent below the three-year pre-pandemic average, said analyst David A. Gross. Audience tastes are starting to change, he added, from universe-saving action films to stories closer to home.
Close to home – at least if you live near a chocolate factory – was family-friendly Wonka, with American-French actor Timothee Chalamet as a younger version of Roald Dahl’s famous chocolatier. British actor Hugh Grant has an unforgettable turn as a grouchy, green-haired, gnome-like Oompa Loompa.
Last weekend’s leader, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, took on a bit of water, slipping to second at US$19.5 million for three days (US$26.3 million for four). American actor Jason Momoa again plays the sea-dwelling superhero, this time joining with his half-brother and former foe to fight turmoil and climate change.
In third was the animated comedy Migration, about the adventures of a family of mallard ducks as they fly from New England to Jamaica. It earned US$17.2 million for three days (US$23 million for four).
Completing a strong weekend was the new musical version of The Color Purple, in fourth spot at US$13 million. Based on the Alice Walker novel that became a beloved 1985 movie, the musical follows the struggles and triumphs of Celie, a young black woman in rural Georgia in the early 20th century.
Singer-actress Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, the 2004 American Idol winner, plays Celie – a role taken on by actress Whoopi Goldberg in the earlier film – with backing from actors Colman Domingo and Danielle Brooks, and singer-songwriter H.E.R.
And in fifth was romcom Anyone But You, at US$9 million. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell star in the tale loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which explores a relationship influenced by instant connection and crossed signals. AFP
