MOVIES
The Beekeeper battles it out with Mean Girls at the box office while January slows down.
Jason Statham's The Beekeeper competes with Mean Girls
The Plastics may be the reigning cool kids of North Shore High, but Jason Statham's latest film, The Beekeeper, is giving them a run for their money at the weekend box office. With no new wide releases, these two films are fighting for the top spot as audiences catch up on the month's hottest blockbusters.
Comscore reports that The Beekeeper is projected to earn $7.4 million, adding to its domestic total of $42.2 million ($104.2 million internationally). Mean Girls is close behind with an additional $7.3 million, bringing its domestic tally to $60.8 million ($83.4 million worldwide). It's the third consecutive week that these two films have held the top spots.
While The Beekeeper is an action-thriller and Mean Girls is a musical adaptation, their success can be attributed to the typically slow release schedule in January. However, as February approaches, their reign may soon come to an end. The highly anticipated release of Argylle, a spy-movie from Matthew Vaughn, is expected to attract action fans and potentially dethrone the Queen Bees.
Wonka's sweet success continues
Timothée Chalamet's Wonka, directed by Paul King, maintains its position in the box office charts. The musical, serving as an origin story for the iconic chocolatier, has earned an additional $5.9 million, bringing its total to $195.1 million ($552 million globally). King aimed to create a companion piece to the original 1971 film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, while preserving its enduring and iconic elements.
"I didn't want to reinvent those things 'cause it felt like that '71 movie had come up with these incredibly enduring, iconic looks," King explained. "What I wanted this movie to be was like a companion piece to that movie. If you imagine those people in that world 25 years earlier, that was my starting process. Eventually, he would grow into that person and that factory."
Migration and Anyone but You make their mark
Universal's Migration, a family film about ducks lost in New York City from the creator of White Lotus, Mike White, continues to soar at the box office. It earned an additional $5.1 million, bringing its total to $101.2 million ($206.1 million globally).
Meanwhile, the R-rated rom-com Anyone but You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, remains strong in its sixth week of release. It is projected to earn $4.8 million, increasing its domestic haul to $71.1 million and its worldwide total to $126.5 million.
