Weekend Box Office: THE BOY AND THE HERON Flies, RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ Tumbles to 6th

Images courtesy Parkwood Entertainment, Studio Ghibli © 2023

#1 = The Boy and the Heron

GKIDS’ and Studio Ghibli’s Japanese-language anime from director Hayao Miyazaki soared to $12.8M, securing the top spot over the weekend.

For comparison, that’s higher than the final domestic totals of several Miyazaki films, including:

  • 2002’s Spirited Away = $10.0M
  • 2014’s The Wind Rises = $5.2M
  • 2005’s Howl’s Moving Castle = $4.7M

It’s also not far off from the final domestic total of Miyazaki’s 2009 release Ponyo, $15.0M. Heron will likely overtake Ponyo later this week.

Versus some other comparable anime openings of recent years, Heron opens:

  • +37% above 2022’s One Piece Film: Red = $9.3M
  • +99% above 2012’s The Secret World of Arrietty = $6.4M

Heron also opens above the entire final domestic total of:

  • 2022’s Suzume = $10.9M
  • 2019’s Weathering with You = $9.0M
  • 2016’s Your Name. = $5.0M

Impressively, Heron leads the weekend box office despite only having the #8 widest release in the marketplace at 2,205 theaters.

#2 = The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

In its fourth frame, Lionsgate’s dystopian action prequel repeats in second place with a -34% drop to $9.4M.

Through 24 days, Songbirds has earned $135.6M. Through the same point in release, that’s:

  • -59% below 2012’s The Hunger Games = $336.6M
  • -62% below 2013’s Catching Fire = $357.5M
  • -51% below 2014’s Mockingjay Part 1 = $276.8M
  • -44% below 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2 = $244.6M

However, that point of comparison marks an improvement for Songbirds, as its opening weekend lagged further behind its four predecessors, coming in:

  • -70% below 2012’s The Hunger Games
  • -71% below 2013’s Catching Fire
  • -63% below 2014’s Mockingjay Part 1
  • -56% below 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2

Songbirds is also running -31% behind 2016’s Harry Potter spinoff prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them = $198.9M.

 

Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence here:

https://www.boxofficepro.com/fading-snow-director-francis-lawrence-on-kindling-the-franchise-with-origin-story-the-hunger-games-the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes/ 

#3 = Godzilla Minus One

Last weekend, Toho International’s Japanese-language monster movie stomped to a $11.4M debut in third place.

Now in its sophomore frame, it repeats in third place with -27% to $8.3M.

Compared to the three most recent English-language Godzilla films, that sophomore drop is far milder than:

  • 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong = -57%
  • 2014’s Godzilla = -67%
  • 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters = -68%

#4 = Trolls Band Together

In its fourth frame, Universal’s animated three-quel repeats in fourth place with a -21% decline to $6.2M.

Through 24 days, Band has earned $83.0M. Through the same point in release, that’s -38% behind behind 2016’s Trolls ($135.4M). That represents a slight dip for Band, which opened -35% below Trolls.

#5 = Wish

In its third frame, Disney’s animated musical repeats in fifth place with a -31% decline to $5.3M.

Through 19 days, after opening midweek on a Wednesday, Wish has earned $49.4M total. That’s running far behind other Disney animated musicals released on Thanksgiving weeks past:

  • -31% below 2021’s Encanto = $71.9M
  • -48% below 2010’s Tangled = $96.5M
  • -58% below 2016’s Moana = $119.7M
  • -63% below 2013’s Frozen = $134.2M

Wish is holding worse than Encanto, having scored an opening weekend only -22% behind the earlier film. However, Wish‘s rate of decline is less steep when compared to several other recent Disney animations released over Thanksgiving, having initially opened to:

  • -54% below Tangled
  • -61% below Moana
  • -66% below Frozen

#6 = Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé

Last weekend, the AMC Theatres Distribution + Variance Films concert documentary debuted to $21.8M.

Now in its sophomore frame, it plunges a steep -77% to $5.0M and sixth place.

Compared to the sophomore drops for other comparable concert documentaries, that’s far steeper than:

  • 2009’s posthumous Michael Jackson concert documentary This Is It = -43%
  • 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never = -55%
  • October’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour = -64%
  • 2008’s Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert = -67%

#7 = Napoleon

In its third frame, Sony Pictures and Apple Studios’ historical drama fell -42% to $4.2M.

Through 19 days, after opening midweek on a Wednesday, Napoleon has earned $53.0M total. Through the same point in release, that’s:

  • -1% below Killers of the Flower Moon, a comparable historical drama from Apple Studios = $53.9M
  • +29% ahead of director Ridley Scott’s 2021 House of Gucci = $41.0M

#8 = Waitress: The Musical

Bleecker Street’s and Fathom Events’ five-day limited engagement event cinema release Waitress: The Musical served up $3.2M.

After opening with $672K on Thursday, it’s now earned $3.9M through four days in only 1,214 theaters.

#9 = Animal

Last weekend, Moksha Movies’ Indian foreign-language action drama earned the second-highest domestic Bollywood opening ever with $6.5M in seventh place.

In its sophomore frame, it falls -65% to $2.2M and ninth place.

Compared to the sophomore drops of other Indian releases this year, that’s steeper than:

  • November’s Tiger 3 = -47%
  • September’s Jawan = -61%
  • January’s Pathaan = -61%

#10 = The Shift

Last weekend, Angel Studios’ faith-based sci-fi film opened with $4.3M in eighth place.

Now in its sophomore frame, it falls -50% to $2.1M and tenth place.

Versus some other comparable faith-based releases this year, that’s steeper than:

  • September’s The Blind = -26%
  • March’s His Only Son = -49%

However, it’s milder than October’s After Death = -60%.

Outside the top 10

Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things opens to an estimated $644K in nine theaters. Its $71,556 per-theater average ranks #3 of the year so far, behind only June’s Asteroid City ($142,230) and April’s Beau is Afraid ($80,099).

Neon’s horror-drama Origin took in an estimated $117K in two theaters. Its $58,532 per-theater average ranks #4 of the year so far, behind Asteroid City, Beau is Afraid, and Poor Things.

20th Century Studios’ 35th anniversary re-release of 1988’s Die Hard earned $923K in 1,355 theaters. That sub-$1M total falls well below comparable 2023 blockbuster re-releases like Titanic, Jurassic Park, and Return of the Jedi.

Universal’s 20th anniversary re-release of 2003’s Love Actually failed to draw in Christmas crowds, making $280K in 927 theaters—less than one-third of the (admittedly quite dissimilar) Die Hard.

Universal’s July Oppenheimer re-expanded to 1,316 theaters for awards season, up from 101 last frame, earning $350K.


Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend comes in around $67.2M, the #5 lowest overall weekend of 2023.

Here’s how this weekend compares to last weekend, the same weekend last year, and the same weekend in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:

Weekend

Total

This weekend is:

Leader

Last weekend

$97.1M

-30%

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé = $21.8M

Same weekend in 2022

$37.7M

+78%

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fifth frame = $11.2M

Same weekend in 2019

$90.3M

-25%

Frozen II, third frame = $35.1M

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $8.36B.

Here’s how that compares to last year and the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:

Year

YTD total

2023 YTD now:

After last weekend:

Trend

2022

$6.77B

+23.4%

+22.7%

Up

2019

$10.35B

-19.1%

-19.3%

Up

Top distributors

Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:

  1. Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $1.87B
  2. Universal + Focus Features: $1.85B
  3. Warner Bros.: $1.15B
  4. Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll + Affirm: $958.6M
  5. Paramount: $840.1M

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:

Title  Estimated weekend  % change Locations Location change Average  Total  Weekend Distributor
The Boy and the Heron $12,836,313   2,205   $5,821 $12,836,313 1 GKIDS
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes $9,400,000 -34% 3,665 -26 $2,565 $135,655,926 4 Lionsgate
Godzilla Minus One $8,342,710 -27% 2,540 232 $3,285 $25,344,044 2 Toho International
Trolls Band Together $6,200,000 -21% 3,451 -165 $1,797 $83,081,775 4 Universal
Wish $5,300,000 -31% 3,410 -490 $1,554 $49,412,846 3 Walt Disney
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé $5,000,000 -77% 2,539   $1,969 $28,051,164 2 AMC Theatres Distribution + Variance
Napoleon $4,200,000 -42% 3,350 -150 $1,254 $53,094,572 3 Sony Pictures
Waitress: The Musical $3,237,875   1,214   $2,667 $3,909,980 1 Bleecker Street
Animal $2,275,000 -65% 622 -78 $3,658 $11,552,377 2 Moksha Movies
The Shift $2,159,077 -50% 2,450   $881 $8,501,877 2 Angel Studios
Silent Night $1,720,000 -43% 1,870   $920 $5,844,374 2 Lionsgate
The Marvels $1,330,000 -47% 1,700 -500 $782 $82,940,438 5 Walt Disney
Thanksgiving $1,200,000 -54% 2,025 -481 $593 $30,471,669 4 Sony Pictures
Die Hard $923,000   1,355   $681     20th Century Studios [Disney]
The Holdovers $650,000 -46% 923 -389 $704 $16,395,675 7 Focus Features [Universal]
Poor Things $644,000   9   $71,556 $644,000 1 Searchlight [Disney]
Eileen $615,000 559% 5 -1 $123,000 $746,260 2 Neon
Dream Scenario $612,143 -64% 1,250 -328 $490 $4,894,432 5 A24
Oppenheimer $350,000 1947% 1,316 1,215 $266 $325,745,060 21 Universal
Love Actually $280,000   927   $302     Universal
Killers of the Flower Moon $194,000 -58% 247 -173 $785 $66,921,684 8 Paramount
Journey to Bethlehem $150,000 -25% 455 -11 $330 $6,444,702 5 Sony Pictures
Radical $118,531 -53% 150 -105 $790 $8,438,887 6 Pantelion Films
Priscilla $117,356 -65% 230 -205 $510 $20,694,076 7 A24
Origin $117,063   2   $58,532 $117,063 1 Neon
Five Nights at Freddy’s $100,000 -76% 265 -467 $377 $137,163,570 7 Universal
Next Goal Wins $95,000 -62% 190 -310 $500 $6,637,872 4 Searchlight [Disney]
The Sweet East $9,500 -69% 2 1 $4,750 $54,311 2 Utopia
Common Ground $1,300 -84% 2   $650 $237,339 11 Area 23a
Images courtesy Parkwood Entertainment, Studio Ghibli © 2023

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