Warner Bros Scores Big at Holiday Box Office with ‘The Color Purple’ Leading the Charge.
Update, December 26th, Morning: Chart Included: Warner Bros emerged as the clear winner of the Christmas box office battle, led by a strong performance from ‘The Color Purple,’ along with ‘Aquaman 2’ and ‘Wonka,’ which secured the top three positions. ‘The Color Purple’ particularly shone, earning an impressive $18.15 million on its opening day, receiving an A CinemaScore, and securing a 92% positive rating.
The film’s opening day earnings surpassed those of ‘Aquaman 2’ ($10.6 million) and ‘Wonka’ ($10.3 million) and marked the highest Christmas Day opening since 2009. It ranks as the second-highest Christmas Day opening, trailing behind Warner Bros ‘Sherlock Holmes in 2009, which grossed $24.6 million. ‘The Color Purple’ also exceeded the first-day Christmas earnings of Universal’s adaptation of ‘Les Miserables,’ suggesting that musicals continue to thrive on the big screen when done well. The production budget for ‘The Color Purple’ was $90 million before marketing and distribution expenses.
As for ‘Aquaman 2’, it brought in $38.3 million over four days, slightly below its projected $40 million, while ‘Wonka’ reached $28.35 million from Friday to Monday, bringing its cumulative total to $85.8 million.
The demographic breakdown for ‘The Color Purple,’ produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, showed a diverse audience with 65% Black, 19% Caucasian, 11% Hispanic and Latino, and 2% Asian viewers. The film was viral in the Southern United States, exceeding initial projections.
Significant earnings were also noted in the top 10 theaters, including locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Los Angeles.
Older audiences, particularly those over 55, comprised a significant portion of the viewership at 25% and rated the film highly. Women over 25 comprised 62% of the audience, while men over 25 and women under 25 followed in terms of audience composition.
With the success of ‘The Color Purple’ and other films like ‘The Boys in the Boat’ and ‘Ferrari,’ the Christmas Box Office saw a total earning of $157.9 million over four days, an 11% increase from the previous year.
‘Ferrari,’ a drama about racing, had a more vital first day than Ridley Scott’s ‘All the Money in the World,’ suggesting a promising future despite its substantial production budget.
Overall, the holiday season box office performance underscores the diversity and potential of film genres to attract broad audiences, with Warner Bros leading the way with its strategic releases.
