Monday, October 7, 2024

Box Office: Quiet Christmas Looms as Weekend Could Be Lowest in Years As “Aquaman 2,” Big Releases Disappoint

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This is going to be one weird Christmas at the box office.

So far, the numbers for everything are way off, with all signs pointing to one of the lowest holiday weekends in years.

The number 1 movie, “Aquaman 2,” will be lucky to clear $40 million through Christmas Day, Monday.

After a strong start, “Wonka” is already slowing down. Currently at $64 million, it might hit $90 by end of the day on Monday. But it’s certainly the best of the season.

Two entries, “The Iron Claw,” and “Anyone But You,” are not causing lines at the box office. The former film, a wrestling saga with Zac Efron, is grim, not a crowd pleaser like “Rocky.” Basically, everyone dies. And “Anyone But You” is what a friend of mine calls “a rental,” good for airplanes. If one of them takes off, it will be a miracle.

Part of the problem is that studios took the words Christmas Day literally this year. Christmas Day is Monday. Christmas releases should have included this weekend. On Monday we’re going to get “The Color Purple” — an Oscar film, “The Boys in the Boat” — family film, and “Ferrari” with a Penelope Cruz performance for the ages. It’s a shame they weren’t given a headstart now.

One possibility: Searchlight’s wild, sexy, funny “Poor Things” is in limited release has already made $4 million. The Emma Stone- Mark Ruffalo-Willem Dafoe extravaganza must be seen — by adults, thank you. Many Oscar nominations are forthcoming. It’s the one actually cool new movie of the holiday.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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