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

#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.

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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

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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