Christmas Box Office Proves Family-Friendly Movies Make an Impact
By Movieguide® Staff
Christmas Day box office takes pushed 2023’s total earnings to about $9 billion, with family-friendly movies making an impact over the holiday.
“Box Office Mojo, which records all studio reported grosses, through Monday showed a little under $8.7 billion. But Comscore, which gets grosses direct from theaters (and includes revenue for live events and other non-film presentations), put the total through Sunday at $8.725 billion. Add Monday and Tuesday, with around $110 million, and by their calculation the remaining five days will surpass $9 billion,” IndieWire reported.
WONKA, MIGRATION and THE BOYS IN THE BOAT were among the top five earners for Dec. 25 and 26.
Over the holiday, the Timothée Chalamet-led WONKA, which opened Dec. 15, took $18.9 million. It has surpassed $100 million domestically and more than $270 million worldwide.
Part of the movie’s success comes from its family-friendly values. Movieguide® praised its “Strong moral, capitalist worldview about good triumphing over evil” and celebration of “joy” and “great dreams.”
MIGRATION brought in a combined $12.1 million for Monday and Tuesday.
It follows a family of ducks and their escapades as they leave the safety of their home to travel to Jamaica.
“MIGRATION is a funny, sweet, heartwarming comedy with many positive moral, pro-family messages. It extolls marriage and positive family relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and siblings,” Movieguide® reported.
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, which opened Christmas Day, contributed a total of $8.7 million on Dec. 25 and 26.
Based on a true story, the movie centers “on the University of Washington’s rowing team, from their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.”
Movieguide® lauded its “inspiring, patriotic, uplifting true story” and “strong biblical, moral, redemptive, and patriotic themes.”
THE COLOR PURPLE came in at No. 1 over the holiday.
Movieguide® summarized:
THE COLOR PURPLE is a musical version of a 1985 movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Adapted from an acclaimed novel and a Broadway play, the movie tells the story of Celie. As a teenager, Celie is impregnated by her stepfather, who takes both her baby children away. Then, she’s married off to a mean, banjo-playing widowed farmer with three children, who calls himself Mister. Mister beats Celie, then kicks out her beloved sister Nettie when Nettie refuses to let him rape her. So, the question is, will Mister ever get his comeuppance, or will he repent?
It earned $18.2 million on Monday and $7.0 million on Tuesday for a cumulative take of $25.2 million.
While the musical “tells an emotional, redemptive, heartrending story of repentance, forgiveness and redemption, with overt positive references to God,” Movieguide® urges caution due to overt lesbian and feminist themes, lewd behavior and light obscenities.
Movieguide® previously reported on WONKA’s success:
WONKA has surpassed $250 million in box office revenue in just two weeks since its release.
“The prequel story, starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, added $33.2 million from 77 international markets, a scant 33% drop from the prior weekend. WONKA has generated $171.3 million overseas and $254.9 million to date. It’s a sweet tally since the film cost $100 million,” Variety reported.
WONKA is “based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. WONKA tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today,” a synopsis of the film reads.
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