2023 U.S. Box Office Crosses $9 Billion, Led By Universal; ‘Wonka’ Tops New Year’s Weekend With $30M – Monday Update

deadline.com:

MONDAY AM writethru: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he’s delivering the motion picture industry a $9 billion-plus year at the domestic box office, a feat many thought was unimaginable with the lack of a mega-tentpole over the holiday, coupled by a Q4 impacted by the double strikes.

The numbers were compiled from Comscore data and Deadline calculations. Comscore called 2023 at $9.03 billion yesterday. It was a diversified crop of family and adult films over the holidays that got us there, including Warner Bros‘ trifecta of Wonka (which is leading the four-day New Year’s box office with $30M), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (4-day $23.5M), and The Color Purple ($15M 4-day), as well as adult movies like The Boys in the Boat ($11.2M 4-day) and even YA romantic comedy Anyone But You ($11M 4-day).

As we told you a few days ago, 2024 is bound to shed about $1 billion for an $8 billion take due to a lower inventory of wide releases and Q1 sans several tentpoles. “Hitting $9 billion is more than just about dollars and cents, it’s about the lessons learned in what was arguably one of the most significant and challenging years for the movie business,” Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “Moviegoers are the most powerful players in Hollywood and are providing actionable intelligence on a weekly basis to studios and creatives who can learn much from the unexpected success of films that were not even on the radar at the beginning of the year.” “As a historic box office year comes to a close amidst the tumultuous backdrop of strikes, streaming and shifting audience tastes, the bottom line is that the theatrical experience remains an essential part of the entertainment ecosystem,” he added.