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.
