Wonka Beating Aquaman 2 at New Year's Weekend Box Office

Wonka will outswim Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at the box office during the four-day New Year's weekend. Wonka leads the four-day box office weekend, earning a projected $33 million haul. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will earn $26 million over the same period, landing in second place. That's all money to Warner Bros, which produced both movies. It also produced The Color Purple, also on the charts, earning a respectable $16.2 million over the holiday. Wonka, a prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has received a largely positive reception from critics. In ComicBook.com's Wonka review, Kofi Outlaw awarded the film a score of 4 out of 5 stars. He writes:

"Wonka has a lot going for it, but the screenplay by Simon Farnaby and Paul King does admittedly drag in parts. The premise of the film's story (Willy falling into indentured servitude and having to sell his chocolates in secret) has admirable thematic goals, conveying a story about how such pleasures are best shared and enjoyed by groups, and how Wonka learns that lesson through experience. However, the actual beats of the story begin to feel circular, and by the second act, it's hard to gauge where the story is trying to go. When the plane ultimately gets to the hangar, the point is hammered home in a heartfelt way, yet it doesn't feel like the journey was completed with confidence, instead salvaged in the edit bay. But a salvage job is still a salvage job in the end – and like its titular protagonist, Wonka has just enough magic to pull from some unseen corner of its hat to have fans walk away feeling like the treat was worth it."

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which marks the end of the DC Extended Universe, has received a much more negative critical reception. In ComicBook.com's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom review, Jenna Anderson awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars. She writes:

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is perfectly fine, whether as a showcase of some of its titular character's weirdest lore, the finale to one of the most controversial film franchises in modern history, or an entertaining-enough superhero movie in a landscape that no longer has to rely solely on them. While the film certainly doesn't manage to break new ground, an argument can be made that it doesn't necessarily need to — it's just a pleasant, largely entertaining time with a character whose big-screen portrayal was one of the DCEU's rare successes. Thanks to its free-wheeling attitude and committed ensemble cast, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom closes a cinematic chapter in a silly, but satisfying-enough way."

Also, at the box office this weekend, Illumination's under-heralded animated feature Migration will crack the top 5 on the box office chart with a 4-day total of $21.5 million. Charlie Ridgely called the film one of Illumination's best in ComicBook.com's Migration review.

Wonka, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Migration, and The Color Purple are in theaters now. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.