"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" Dominates Box Office with $28.1 Million Opening Weekend

In the weekend leading up to Christmas, DC and Warner Bros.' highly anticipated superhero sequel, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," made a splash at the box office, earning an estimated $28.1 million in its first three days of release in North America. The film, starring Jason Momoa as the titular hero, played in 3,706 locations across the country. Studio estimates project that by Monday, the film will have accumulated around $40 million in domestic ticket sales.

Despite several new releases, including the family-friendly animated film "Migration," the R-rated romantic comedy "Anyone But You," the wrestling tragedy "The Iron Claw," and the ghostly tearjerker "All of Us Strangers," this pre-holiday frame at the box office was relatively subdued. It seems that moviegoing audiences had other priorities than going to the cinema during this time. The fact that Christmas Eve fell on a prime weekend day likely contributed to the quieter box office performance. However, in 2017, when Christmas also fell on a Monday, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" dominated the charts with $71.5 million in its second weekend.

Christmas Day traditionally brings big crowds back to theaters, and this year will be no different. Joining the lineup of new films releasing on Christmas will be the big-budget musical adaptation of "The Color Purple," Michael Mann's racing film "Ferrari," and George Clooney's adaptation of the rowing drama "The Boys in the Boat." These films are expected to receive a boost between Christmas and New Year's, which is typically a lucrative time for movie theaters. However, they will have a hard time competing with some of the biggest holiday earners of all time, such as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Avatar," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Interestingly, this was the weekend that Patty Jenkins' highly anticipated Star Wars film, "Rogue Squadron," was originally scheduled to release. However, the film's release has been delayed, leaving audiences to explore other offerings.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, commented on the unusual number of new releases in such a short timeframe, saying, "Seven openers in the course of four days is unusual." He also noted that "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" had an estimated production cost of $200 million, excluding marketing and promotion expenses. Including international estimates, the film is expected to have a global debut of $120 million, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, which made nearly $1.2 billion worldwide.

The release of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" marks the end of a challenging year for DC superhero films, as many of their previous releases, including "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," and "Blue Beetle," underperformed at the box office. The studio is now transitioning to a new phase under James Gunn's direction.

Warner Bros., the studio behind "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," also had the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend with "Wonka," which earned an estimated $17.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to $83.6 million. Additionally, Warner Bros. has the highly anticipated "The Color Purple" set to open on Christmas Day. With these three films, Warner Bros. is expected to secure three spots in the top five by Monday.

In third place was Illumination and Universal's "Migration," a PG-rated animated adventure about a family of mallards traveling South. The film, featuring voice actors Kumail Najiani, Elizabeth Banks, and Awkwafina, earned an estimated $12.3 million over the weekend in North America, which is projected to increase to $17.1 million by the end of Monday. Its global total through Sunday is sitting at an estimated $34.3 million.

Other notable releases included the romantic comedy "Anyone But You," starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, which landed in fourth place with an estimated $6.2 million in its first three days and nearly $9 million including Monday. The film, loosely inspired by "Much Ado About Nothing," received mixed reviews from critics but earned a B+ CinemaScore from audiences.

A24's "The Iron Claw," a film about the tragedy-stricken Von Erich wrestling family, opened on 2,774 screens, earning an estimated $5.1 million over the weekend. It is projected to reach $7.5 million by the end of Monday. The film garnered positive reviews, with Zac Efron's transformative lead performance being particularly praised. It received an A- CinemaScore from audiences, the highest ever for A24.

Searchlight Pictures' "All of Us Strangers," starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, opened in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles over the weekend, boasting a strong per-theater average of $33,034. Yorgos Lanthimos' gothic black comedy “Poor Things” expanded to 800 theaters, earning $2.1 million.

The top 10 at the box office also featured two Japanese films, "Godzilla Minus One" and "The Boy and the Heron." Additionally, Indian films "Salaar: Part 1-Ceasefire" and “Dunki” secured spots in the top 10, further diversifying the lineup of films.

Overall, the box office performance leading up to Christmas has been promising, with an array of films catering to various audiences. As Paul Dergarabedian aptly put it, "No matter where the box office ends up on the 31, whether it hits $9 billion or is just close, this is just a boom time to be a moviegoer." The top 10 reads like a.