Aquaman 2 Gets Destroyed By Surprising Competition
We’ve long been stoked to see how Warner Bros. and DC’s final title of the year, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, would perform at the box office, and we finally have our answer. While Jason Momoa’s superhero has held its own against most of the competition, it was knocked off its throne on Christmas Day when Warner Bros.’s other title, The Color Purple, came singing and dancing into theaters across the United States.
Not only did The Color Purple blow Aquaman 2 out of the water but it etched itself a spot in history as the second biggest opener at the Christmas Day box office.
The Color Purple Beats Out Aquaman 2
All things considered, the fact that a movie musical knocked Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom out of the top spot on Christmas Day is an astounding one. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, The Color Purple was far from the title expected to make such huge waves in sales, raking in $18.1 million on Monday alone, second only to 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, which sniffed out $24.6 million.
Christmas Day also welcomed a slew of other productions, including George Clooney’s latest directorial effort, The Boys in the Boat, and Michael Mann’s Ferrari.
How Other Movies Fared Over The Holiday Weekend
Still, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom deposited the most money into the bank over the four-day weekend, earning $38.3 million from 3,706 theaters in the United States. Along with The Color Purple and Aquaman 2, Warner Bros.’s other musical film, Wonka also performed well over the holiday weekend, with the studio making hand over fist in ticket sales.
The fourth biggest grosser was Universal’s animated project, Migration, with others such as the rom-com Anyone But You and wrestling drama The Iron Claw also collecting dollar signs.
An Abysmal Ending For The DCEU
After a lackluster year that saw failure after failure in titles including Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle, Warner Bros. and DC Studios were hoping that the DCEU would end on a positive note with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Although it was the overall biggest box office earner over the weekend, the fact that Christmas Day crowds chose The Color Purple over the Jason Momoa-led sequel certainly says something about the audience’s excitement (or lack thereof) for the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman.
Movie Musicals Making A Comeback?
On the other hand, pushing Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom out of the way is a promising precursor for the rest of The Color Purple’s theatrical run and the future of movie musicals. As we enter the New Year, the on-screen adaptation of the musical version of Mean Girls will soon make its way into theaters at the beginning of January. While the genre has often taken a back seat, the Christmas Day box office numbers could point to a monetary comeback for movie musicals.
Is There Still Time For Aquaman 2 To Turn Things Around?
As we now find ourselves in that odd week between Christmas weekend and the New Year, many folks will head to their local cinema to check out one of Hollywood’s latest offerings. As Aquaman and the Last Kingdom attempts to play catch up, the numbers of The Color Purple will only continue to impress those who never saw its takeover coming.
