Despite weak ticket sales for the DC Extended Universe offering, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which starred Jason Momoa as a superhero who lives at water, soared to the top of the three-day Christmas weekend box office, industry observers noted Tuesday.
According to Exhibitor Relations, the movie made $38.3 million on its opening weekend in the US and Canada, which ran from Friday through Monday.
Amidst instability and climate change endangering the undersea realm, the DC comics sequel follows the king of Atlantis as he divides his time between the surface world and the depths of the sea. He teams up with his half-brother and old nemesis.
With $28.4 million in revenue, Warner Bros.’ fantasy musical “Wonka,” which starred Timothee Chalamet as a younger adaptation of Roald Dahl’s well-known chocolatier Willy Wonka (first portrayed by Gene Wilder and later by Johnny Depp), came in second.
With $18.2 million in sales, the new musical version of “The Color Purple,” which made its debut only on Christmas Monday, came in third place. This is the highest Christmas Day opening since “Sherlock Holmes” in 2009.
The novel by Alice Walker, which won the Pulitzer Prize, was adapted into a popular film and eventually brought to Broadway as a musical. It chronicles the hardships and victories of a young Black woman in early 20th-century rural Georgia.
The film, which stars Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R., and Colman Domingo among others, completes Warner Bros.’ standing in the top three positions.
The animated comedy “Migration,” which had a family of mallard ducks traveling from New England to Jamaica on an adventure, came in fourth place with $17.5 million over its opening weekend.
And rom-com “Anyone But You” debuted in fith with $8.1 million.
Rounding out the top 10 this holiday weekend were:
“The Iron Claw” ($6.8 million)
“Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire” ($6.7 million)
“The Boys in the Boat” ($5.7 million) (Monday/Christmas Day debut)
“Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ($4.1 million)
“Dunki” ($3.7 million)