Holiday Box Office Roundup

Sony and Marvel Studios’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” rang in the New Year atop the box office for the third straight weekend. The comic book film, the final of the series, has grossed more than $609 million domestically and $1.37 billion worldwide – making it Sony’s highest grossing film in history. It also claimed the title for third fastest film to surpass the $500 million domestic threshold at just 12 days. “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” are currently in the first and second spot respectively. Below, learn more about the new releases that hit the box office over the holidays.

Sing 2

Universal’s sequel “Sing 2” brought the family-friendly fun to the holiday box office, earning $39.5 million over its five-day debut, and currently sitting at $130M domestically. That figure is enough to make it the top animated release since the start of the pandemic. The film was written and directed by Garth Jennings, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, and once again stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll and Nick Offerman. There’s also a slew of new characters voiced by Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Chelsea Peretti, Eric André, Bono and more.

This new story sees Buster and his cast attempting to start a new show in the glamorous Redshore City. To ensure its success, Buster promises the show will star reclusive lion rock legend Clay Calloway – even though he’s never even met Clay. What begins as Buster’s dream of big-time success becomes an emotional reminder of the power of music to heal even the most broken heart.

Matrix Resurrections

Warner Bros.’ fourth installment of the “Matrix” series grossed $30.6M over 12 days. Lana Wachowski’s sci-fi deconstructive rom-com simultaneously premiered on HBO Max for subscribers. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity

American Underdog

Lionsgate’s aspirational true-life NFL drama grossed an impressive $15M in its first nine days. The faith-based film tells the story of football hero Kurt Warner’s career starting as an undrafted NFL player and later becoming a two-time Most Valuable Player awardee who led his team to win the Super Bowl. Before his career could take off, Kurt struggles with the decision of playing football, ending up as a supermarket employee. But with the support of his wife Brenda and guidance from Coach Dick Vermeil, Kurt embarks on a play that would soon change his life.

Licorice Pizza

The offbeat coming-of-age film “Licorice Pizza” had its wide debut over the holidays, as well. The indie darling, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, had a strong reception and is likely to have an even stronger award season run.  The film, set in California’s San Fernando Valley during the early 1970s, revolves around teen actor Gary Valentine as he navigates the successes and pitfalls of his growing fame while navigating the tricky terrain of first love with Alana. 

A Journal for Jordan

Sony’s romance drama, starring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Denzel Washington, also premiered on Christmas day. The film is based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to their child. Talking about the experience of creating the film, Canedy shared, “We hoped to remind people of the power of everlasting love, of the patriotism that unites us and hopefully of the resilience that is possible after unspeakable loss.”

These titles are playing in theaters now and will be available for licensing from Swank soon.