{"id":36656,"date":"2023-12-17T19:20:42","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T19:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/hot-chocolate-for-the-holidays-wonka-tops-box-office\/"},"modified":"2023-12-17T19:20:42","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T19:20:42","slug":"hot-chocolate-for-the-holidays-wonka-tops-box-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/hot-chocolate-for-the-holidays-wonka-tops-box-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot chocolate for the holidays: ‘Wonka’ tops box office"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Warner Bros.\u2019 fantasy musical \u201cWonka,\u201d boosted by the star power of Timothee Chalamet, enjoyed a sweet opening in North American theaters this weekend after an equally strong debut overseas, industry watchers reported Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The film took in an estimated $39 million in the United States and Canada for the Friday-through-Sunday period, according to Exhibitor Relations. That came on top of $112 million in tickets sold overseas, where the film opened a week earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an excellent opening,\u201d particularly since family-friendly films released in December tend to build through the holidays, said analyst David A. Gross. \u201cMomentum is very good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The film is a prequel, with Chalamet as a younger version of Roald Dahl\u2019s famous chocolatier Willy Wonka, a character first played by Gene Wilder and then Johnny Depp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWonka\u201d also stars Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins and, in his first appearance as an Oompa-Loompa, Hugh Grant.<\/p>\n

Another prequel, Lionsgate\u2019s \u201cHunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,\u201d placed second for the weekend at $5.8 million, showing impressive staying power in its fifth week out.<\/p>\n

Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler and Peter Dinklage star in the story about the 10th Hunger Games in the dystopian state of Panem.<\/p>\n

In third place was animated fantasy \u201cThe Boy and the Heron,\u201d from Studio Ghibli, at $5.2 million. The Japanese film follows 11-year-old Mahito who, during World War II, meets and communes with a talking gray heron after his mother dies in a fire.<\/p>\n

The coming-of-age story from celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki topped the North American box office last weekend, becoming the first original anime production to do so.<\/p>\n

In fourth was another Japanese production, sci-fi action film \u201cGodzilla Minus One,\u201d directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho International, at $4.9 million.<\/p>\n

And in fifth was Universal and DreamWorks\u2019 \u201cTrolls Band Together\u201d at $4 million in its fifth week out.<\/p>\n

The coming week should be a big one for North American theaters, with \u201cAquaman and the Lost Kingdom\u201d opening Friday and the new musical version of \u201cThe Color Purple\u201d debuting on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the top 10 this weekend were:<\/p>\n