Black Panther: Wakanda Forever kept the box-office crown for the fourth straight weekend, and the comic holiday thriller Violent Night debuted with $13.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the biggest talking point was a movie conspicuously absent from theaters. Had Netflix kept Rian Johnson's whodunit sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in theaters, it would have been one of the weekend's top draws. Last weekend, the streamer—in its first such pact with North America's top chains—released Glass Onion in about 600 theaters, the AP reports. While that's significantly fewer than the 4,000-plus theaters most big movies open in, the Netflix film reportedly grossed about $15 million, an enviable total for a medium-scaled release.
Netflix declined to release ticket sales and pulled Glass Onion on Tuesday, instead limiting its release to a one-week sneak-peak theatrical run before debuting on the streaming service Dec. 23. Netflix's focus, executives have said, is driving subscribers to its streaming service. On Wednesday, chief executive Reed Hastings acknowledged that Netflix left a lot of money on the table with the move. So moviegoers were fed mostly leftovers this weekend. For four weeks, the Walt Disney Co.'s Wakanda Forever has ruled the box office. Ryan Coogler's Marvel movie has totaled $733 million globally, including $339 million in overseas sales. Violent Night was the only new wide release in cinemas. Starring David Harbour as a not-so-saintly Saint Nick, the Universal release earned a B+ CinemaScore from audiences. It cost about $20 million to make.
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- Wakanda Forever, $17.6 million.
- Violent Night, $13.3 million.
- Strange World, $4.9 million.
- The Menu, $3.6 million.
- Devotion, $2.8 million.
- I Heard the Bells, $1.8 million.
- Black Adam, $1.7 million.
- The Fabelmans, $1.3 million.
- Bones and All, $1.2 million.
- Ticket to Paradise, $850,000.
(More
box office stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
