Warner Bros. Claims Rare Box Office Milestone With Christmas Day Trifecta

2023 has been quite a year for Warner Bros. movies at the domestic box office. It’s rare that a studio goes through a calendar year with a number of crushing disappointments and still has some of the most remarkable victories in the history of cinema. Warner Bros. celebrated its 100th anniversary in April of this year, and it’s fair to say they’ve made a splash. Along with successes on a smaller scale like Meg 2: The Trench and The Nun II, Warner Bros. also had the most stunning victory of the year with Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie, which made a sensational $636 million domestic on top of $803 million worldwide for over $1.439 billion grossed.

And it’s also ending the year on a positive note, making history on a different note, by claiming the top three spots at the box office at the same time. With the Christmas Day release of The Color Purple alongside Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Wonka, which were both already playing, the December 25th holiday saw The Color Purple net $18.1 million, while Aquaman and Wonka brought in $10.6 million and $10.4 million respectively. The last time this particular achievement was made by a studio was on the July 2, 2021 weekend. The top three spots were all Universal (The Forever Purge, The Boss Baby: Family Business, F9: The Fast Saga).

Although in charge of production and distribution for the now-extinct DC Extended Universe, meaning it was saddled with the responsibility for Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman, all of which have, or will, result in losses for the company, it’s still been a good year. The success of Barbie, along with overperformers like Wonka, Evil Dead Rise and The Nun II — horror has often proven extremely profitable for Warner Bros. — will give encouragement to the studio ahead of a very busy 2024 slate.

What Movies Does Warner Bros. Have Coming Out in 2024?

Expectations will be high for Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune: Part Two, the first film on the slate for the studio, and one of two partnerships for the studio with Legendary, alongside Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, will have box office observers watching keenly. Other highly anticipated movies for the year ahead include Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the prequel to 2015’s Oscar-nominated Mad Max: Fury Road in May, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 in September, and Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the billion dollar blockbuster Joker, which netted Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar, and will release in October.

You can grab tickets to see the Warner Bros. top three movies here. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.

• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

  Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.

  Release Date

  December 22, 2023

  Director

  James Wan

  Rating

  PG-13

  Runtime

  124 minutes

  Writers

  David Leslie Johnson , Paul Norris , Mort Weisinger

• 

  Wonka

  Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ‘Wonka’ tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

  Release Date

  December 15, 2023

  Director

  Paul King

  Rating

  PG

  Runtime

  116 minutes

  Main Genre

  Fantasy

  Genres

  Fantasy , Adventure , children , Family

  Writers

  Simon Farnaby , Paul King , Roald Dahl

• 

  The Color Purple

  A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

  Release Date

  December 25, 2023

  Director

  Blitz Bazawule

  Rating

  PG-13

  Runtime

  140 minutes

  Writers

  Marcus Gardley , Alice Walker , Marsha Norman