Box Office: Which New Movie Won Christmas?

Warner Bros. saw the color green at the Christmas box office. The studio dominated the holiday weekend with its diverse trio of new releases — the musical adaptation The Color Purple (December 25), DC superhero sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 22), and its whimsical Wonka prequel (Dec. 15) — to take the top three spots at the box office, which is down -7% from the same time last year. The star-studded musical version of Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple took No. 1 with $18.15 million on Christmas Day, besting Aquaman 2 ($10.6 million) and Wonka ($10.3 million). 

Purple‘s opening day is the biggest Christmas Day since Warners’ own Sherlock Holmes ($24.6m) in 2009 and edges out 2012 musical Les Misérables ($18.11m) to enter the top 10 Christmas Days, a list that includes such blockbusters as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avatar: The Way of Water, and the original Aquaman.

The George Clooney-directed sports drama The Boys in the Boat, which fared better with audiences than critics, took fourth place over the weekend with $5.8 million; Illumination’s animated Migration flew to fifth place with $5.4 million.

James Wan and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman sequel surfaced below four-day $40 million projections with an estimated $38.3 million (Dec. 22—26), putting its current global haul at a tepid $118.4 million. Wonka, directed by Paddington‘s Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic chocolatier, is at a sweeter $257.1 million worldwide.

The Color Purple, described as a bold new take on the beloved classic, is directed by Blitz Bazawule (Beyoncè’s Black Is King) andproduced by Oprah Winfrey (star of the 1985 film), Steven Spielberg (director of the 1985 film), Scott Sanders and QuincyJones (producer of the original film). Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures), Danielle Brooks(Peacemaker), Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’sBlack Bottom), Corey Hawkins (In theHeights), H.E.R. (Judas and the Black Messiah), Halle Bailey (The LittleMermaid), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard), and Broadway’s Fantasia Barrino (in her major motion picturedebut) star in the musical version that’s received 89% approval from critics and 94% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also new in theaters over the weekend was Neon’s Ferrari, director Michael Mann’s biographical drama starring Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley. Since rolling out into 2,330 theaters on Christmas Day, Ferrari revved up $2.87 million to take sixth place at the Christmas weekend box office.