Box Office: ‘Wonka’ Triumphs Again as Jason Blum and James Wan’s ‘Night Swim’ Debuts to $12 Million

Not since 2019’s crime thriller The Gentleman has Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey gotten a chance to thrill audiences, but it looks like he’s getting closer at finding his next project in a big way. Sources tell Deadline that McConaughey is in negotiations to star in Comet Films and Blumhouse’s The Lost Bus, with Paul Greengrass in negotiations to direct and Apple Original Films in discussions to board the film.

Naman Ramachandran Paramount’s “Mean Girls” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £3.2 million ($4.1 million), according to numbers from Comscore. After a stellar reign at the top, Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” slid to second place with £1.6 million and after seven weekends, has a total of £58.3 million.

More tweaking to this year’s film schedule continues with Blumhouse/Universal‘s James McAvoy thriller, Speak No Evil, going from Aug. 9 to Sept. 13, where an untitled Blumhouse movie already has dibs.

In the wake of the dual strikes, the 2024 theatrical release schedule is in a bind, even streamers are desperate for product. Sundance, save us.

Studio Ghibli‘s animated adventure movie The Boy and the Heron is continuing to blaze a trail for anime, in Europe, Asia and North America.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Film and TV Producers’ Groups Call for Government Regulation of Streamers, Protection of Indie Sector Against ‘Market Failure’ and Loss of IP Streaming platforms could be subject to tighter regulation and forced to loosen their control of intellectual property if national governments heed a call for action launched Thursday by film and TV producers’ trade organizations around the world. The “global screen producers’ statement on streaming platform regulation and intellectual property protections,” was published by some 20 groups including Australia’s Screen Producers Association, Germany’s Produzentenverband, Screen Producers Ireland, multinational Spanish-language group Federación Iberoamericana de Productores Cinematográficos y Audiovisuales and Belgium’s Union des Producteur.ices Francophones de Films & Series. They say that they, “share a commitment to securing regulation from our respective governments that will ensure that our industry continues to both be sustainable and maintains our nation’s cultural sovereignty.” Among the nine principles, that the groups want governments to follow, two stand out and would likely require regulation.

Alex Ritman Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to “Unicorns,” the romance drama co-directed by BAFTA nominee Sally El Hosaini (“The Swimmers”) and her long-standing collaborator James Krishna Floyd, who starred in both “The Swimmers” and her directorial debut “My Brother the Devil.” From a script written by Floyd, “Unicorns” is described as a “visually daring and heartfelt portrayal of modern masculinity” and follows a queer South Asian club performer living a double life who meets a straight, single-father mechanic, with whom unexpected sparks begin to fly.

EXCLUSIVE: Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki has achieved his best global box office in a decade with Cannes Jury Prize winner Fallen Leaves which has racked up a total gross of $12.4M, according to figures released by its producers.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its reign over the U.K. and Ireland box office with £2.2 million ($2.8 million), according to numbers from Comscore. After six weekends at the box office, the Timothée Chalamet starrer has a sweet total of £56.1 million.

On this morning’s Crew Call, we talk with The Color Purple producers Oprah Winfrey and Scott Sanders on blazing a path for their Broadway musical to the big screen.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter There’s a new queen bee at the box office. Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical ruled over the competition with $32 million during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

EXCLUSIVE: German director Wim Wenders has scored his best box office performance in 15 years with Japan-set, comeback feature Perfect Days, according to collated figures released by sales agent The Match Factory.

Karen Idelson Though there are still those who view animation primarily as a kids or family form of entertainment, over the last year many of the most challenging, risky stories have been told by the modern masters of animation. Films like “Suzume,” “The Peasants” and “The Boy and the Heron” have all been lauded for taking on compelling stories that often attract more adult audiences or even becoming crossover hits that draw diverse viewers. Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume” earned well over $300 million in international box office.

Alex Ritman After just one weekend of international release, “Priscilla” — Sofia Coppola‘s biopic starring Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny as The King’s (then) teenage bride “Priscilla” — has already hit several major milestones for arthouse streamer and distributor Mubi. Produced by Fremantle’s The Apartment, the film currently sits on a box office in excess of $20 million in the U.S., where A24 released the film on Oct.

Audiences didn’t have a lot of new choices, nor a mega late-December blockbuster to ring in the first weekend of the new year at the movies, but the studio titles on offer are still drawing crowds and seeing strong holds, particularly with ongoing holidays in many international box office markets. Milestones are also being set as Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Heyday Films’ Wonka topped $300M overseas while Disney’s Wish crossed $200M worldwide and AMC touted a new benchmark for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. 

Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, but not enough to return it to pre-pandemic levels.A total of £1.06 billion was taken across the year, according to numbers released by Comscore (via Variety). That represents an 8.3 per cent increase on 2022’s total of £980.5 million.However, the number remains 23.5 per cent below 2019, the final year before COVID-19 shut down cinemas.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K. and Ireland box office revenue improved 8.3% from £980.5 million ($1.25 billion) in 2022 to £1.06 billion ($1.35 billion) in 2023, according to numbers released by Comscore. However, the number was 23.5% below the 2019 pre-pandemic total of £1.35 billion ($1.72 billion).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Night Swim,” a supernatural thriller about a ghost-plagued pool, is attempting to start the 2024 box office with a splash. The Universal Pictures film, which marks the year’s first nationwide release, is targeting a debut of $9 million to $11 million from 3,200 North American theaters. It’s a decent start for the $15 million-budgeted movie, which won’t face competition on the horror front until March’s haunted-teddy-bear-inspired “Imaginary.” “Night Swim,” written and directed by Bryce McGuire and starring Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon, follows a family who finds out that an otherwordly presence haunts the backyard swimming pool in their new home.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its golden run at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.6 million ($8.4 million) over the Dec. 29 weekend.

Stargazers in England could catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights tonight.