Friday box office takeaway: Warner Bros. trio booms.
“The Color Purple” crossed $50 mil last night. This is big stuff. The movie got a late start and missed some potential prize publicity. The Golden Globes didn’t even nominate it for Best Picture Musical or Comedy. I mean, wasn’t getting a Black picture in there the group’s only mandate this year?
Anyway, I digress. “The Color Purple” was nominated for the Critics Choice Awards next Sunday, will be a SAG Best Ensemble, and certainly a Best Picture for the Oscars. All of that will keep the ball rolling nicely.
Meanwhile, “Aquaman 2” should hit $100 million by tomorrow or Monday. It cost a fortune and got bad reviews, but little by little it swam and didn’t sink. Yes, it cost a fortune, but it’s not all wet. I’m sure there will be a big write off coming, but for now, it’s not a total embarrassment.
And “Wonka” at $150 million is a solid hit. So Warners’ marketing and distributing plans were sound, they rule the ‘wood right now.
A24’s “The Zone of Interest” has played in 6 theaters for 22 days. Last night’s small take was 32% off last Friday. This is the Zone of Disinterest. I said in Cannes this movie should just play in museum showings. And that’s the way it’s going.
