Despite the success of Avatar: The Way of Water, the Christmas movie experience in North America is tempered by a severe weather system known as Storm Elliott. Freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and ice affected much of the country as a result of the bomb cyclone. As usual, the Christmas season is a boon for business for Hollywood studios and theater owners.
However, this year is different due to a combination of factors, including a less crowded lineup, Storm Elliott and ongoing concerns about COVID-19, the flu and RSV. It is also a pity that Christmas and Christmas Eve both fall on a Sunday. To put it another way, studios are already planning for next week to make up for lost revenue.
Christmas weekend earnings could drop by as much as 50 percent compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic) and by as much as 33 percent compared to 2021, which is bad news for the box office. With sales of just $34.4 million, Christmas Day 2019 was the worst performing day in at least two decades (excluding 2020), according to Comscore.. To put it in perspective, as of December 25 of last year, revenue was $58.1 million.
With an expected total of $82 million (rivals have it higher) Friday through Monday at 4,202 theaters in North America, 20th Century Fox and Disney’s Avatar 2 will comfortably win the four-day holiday weekend. On Sunday, the big budget tentpole made $253.7 million in the United States and $855.4 million worldwide.
After two weeks in theaters, Monday will mark the point where the worldwide total will have reached or surpassed $900 million. The Way of Water made an impressive $168.6 million in international box office sales over the Christmas break (three days), bringing its Sunday international total to $601.7 million. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, co-produced by DreamWorks Animation and Universal, debuted mid-week with an A CinemaScore and is expected to earn $17.8 million in its first four days from a release of 4,099 theaters and $24.7 million in the first six.
The expected opening for the family film was between $30 and $35 million. The industry as a whole is still recovering from the epidemic and performance shows continued concerns about the health of the household market. With The Last Wish facing so little competition in the coming weeks, Universal is sure it will have a successful run at the box office. The Last Wish made $32.5 million internationally as of Monday and is on track for a worldwide total of $57.2 million.
Whitney Houston’s: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (TriStar) and Babylon (Decisive) are both floundering at the box office. On Friday, both films were released to the public. $6 million to $7 million from 3,625 theaters in its first weekend is what studios are expecting for I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Sony insiders believe that number could be higher).
Avatar 2 is literally the best movie experience I’ve ever had. pic.twitter.com/8HVYvGQkEs
— Carlos (@ScarletWitussy) December 17, 2022
Fans agreed with critics and gave Whitney Houston’s biography an A CinemaScore. A measly $2.6 million was made from the first 31 overseas markets for I Wanna Dance With Somebody at the box office. After receiving a C+ CinemaScore, Paramount’s star-studded Babylon looks like a massive failure unless it significantly improves over the next week. A $5.3 million four-day opening from 3,343 theaters is expected for Damien Chazelle’s landmark Hollywood film, stretching north of three hours (like Avatar 2).
During the holiday season, 603 theaters across the country will screen The Whale, making it the highest-grossing independent film ever. The four-day opening weekend for the A24 photo is expected to bring in about $1.4 million. On Friday, eight cinemas released Women Talking, a film by Sarah Polley that was widely acclaimed.
Freezing weather in key markets like New York is undoubtedly impacting the MGM and UAR picture. as they are with a plethora of other movies. After four days, the picture should have made $53,000, which is an average of $6,664 per theater. The three New York and Los Angeles theaters where Sony Pictures Classics’ Living debuted earned an estimated $17,300 in four days, with an average per screen of approximately $7,078.
Last lines
Even if Avatar: The Way of Water did well at the box office, Storm Elliott ruined the Christmas movies in North America. The bomb cyclone brought sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, snow and ice to much of the United States. It is a known fact that the holiday season is a boom time for the entertainment industry in Hollywood.
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