The “Aquaman“ sequel continues to struggle as Warner Bros. “Wonka” has not only dominated the Christmas box office, but now the New Year weekend as well.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” has earned, as of New Year’s Day, $81.8 million. The original 2018 film made $215.4 million over the same time period as it was on its way to $1.2 billion at the global box office, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
The Jason Momoa-led film has had a poor showing at the box office following its release on December 22, coming in way under expectations after earning $27 million over the Christmas weekend and another $23.5 million over the four-day New Year weekend.
The DC superhero sequel and final movie from DC’s Extended Universe appears to be doing slightly better overseas where the James Wan movie has earned $173.6 million as of Monday, according to Box Office Mojo.
Box Office: ‘Wonka’ Beats ‘Aquaman 2’ in Final 2023 Matchup https://t.co/AYr465yfxt
— Variety (@Variety) December 31, 2023
However, the clear winner over both holiday weekends has been the Timothée Chalamet-led backstory of the famed fictional chocolatier Willy Wonka. It is the latest remake based on the 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl. The original novel’s first film adaptation was 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” starring Gene Wilder as Wonka. A 2005 remake directed by Tim Burton starred Johnny Depp as Wonka.
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After the long Christmas weekend, “Wonka“ brought in $102.5 million domestically, Variety reported following its release in mid-December. The movie brought in another $29.5 million at the domestic box office after New Year’s day, bringing the film’s total to $140.2 million as of Monday, THR noted.
Warner Bros. also released another film over the holiday, the Broadway musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple.” The film has had less time than the rest after it opened December 25 with $18.5 million. After the New Year holiday weekend, the movie’s current domestic total now stands at $47.2 million domestically.
Despite the millions earned at the box office, the numbers for the top movies in the country pale in comparison to the last few years, Deadline magazine noted.
In 2021, Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Avatar: The Way of the Water” in 2022 both cleared $30 million in a single day after Christmas.
Related: ‘Aquaman’ Sequel Has Disappointing Christmas Opening, Bringing In Just $40M