As a movie critic who has witnessed the evolution of the box office landscape over the past two decades, I must say that the rise of December as a launchpad for blockbusters is nothing short of astounding. It was not until the force awakened in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens that we finally saw a movie open to $100+ million on its first day domestically, shattering records and setting new standards for December releases.
As a movie enthusiast, I’ve noticed something intriguing about the release schedule. Out of the eight largest films ever made, a whopping five premiered in December! Interestingly, three out of those five are currently or temporarily holding the title as the biggest movies domestically in North America. This suggests that December could be an ideal starting point for blockbuster films due to the extended holiday season, providing audiences ample time to catch up on the latest releases. On the flip side, January and February often lack compelling new releases, which means a film like ‘Avatar’ or ‘Titanic’ can continue raking in box office success well into the new year.
Considering the current state of affairs, it’s surprising to think about the length of time it took for a movie to earn over $100 million in its debut in December. During the 2000s, movies released in May, November, and July often exceeded the nine-figure mark within their first three days. However, looking back now, it’s quite astonishing how long it took for a movie opening in December to reach that milestone.
What Was The First December Movie To Open to $100+ Million?
In May 2002, the film “Spider-Man” set a new record as the first movie ever to generate over $100 million during its debut weekend within the U.S. This was a groundbreaking opening, but it didn’t hold the title for long. For quite some time, films released in December struggled to surpass the $84 million opening of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” in 2012. Films launched during the holiday season tend to earn more over extended box office runs compared to summer blockbusters with shorter runs. For instance, “Avatar,” which opened on December 18, 2009, saw only a 2% decrease in its second weekend despite generating $77 million on its opening day.
In addition, numerous films released in December, particularly in the 2000s, often premiered on Wednesdays (like The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). This strategy meant that demand decreased significantly by the time their opening weekends arrived. Consequently, it typically took a long time for a December release to gross over $100 million. However, when a movie finally did hit the mark, it truly broke records!
On December 18, 2015, the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens wrote history by earning over $100 million from a single day’s domestic sales, breaking all previous records. By Sunday, its earnings had surpassed those of The Hobbit, setting a new record for the highest domestic December opening weekend gross. Intriguingly, its opening day take of $247 million was nearly triple what The Hobbit made three years prior. Additionally, in just its second week, The Force Awakens grossed an astounding $149.2 million, a figure that would have been a record-breaking opening weekend total by itself! Remarkably, 13 years after Spider-Man achieved the $100 million opening milestone, The Force Awakens raised the bar again, not only breaking new ground for domestic debuts but also defying expectations regarding the potential success of December releases.
December Openings in a Post-Force Awakens World
From 2010 onwards, Disney consistently released “Star Wars” films every December, culminating in the debuts of Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker, each earning over $100 million before the decade ended. Yet, despite this new trend, there were instances where December blockbusters didn’t require a domestic opening of $100+ million to become major hits. For example, in 2018, Aquaman was the only film from that year to gross over $275 million worldwide without a $70 million domestic debut. This shows that while a strong opening weekend can help, it’s not essential for December movies to amass large sums of money.
In the 2020s, two other films released in December have grossed over $100 million domestically: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” earned a staggering $260 million upon release, surpassing “The Force Awakens” as the film with the highest domestic weekend opening. The following year, “Avatar: The Way of Water” debuted to $134.1 million, an impressive figure for a December blockbuster that would have been hard to imagine just a decade prior. Currently, there are no December 2024 releases expected to reach nine figures, but it’s almost guaranteed that December 2025 will see another film joining this trend with “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” With James Cameron, the king of December blockbusters, at the helm, we can expect substantial opening weekends.
It’s worth noting that big-budget films like these, costing over $100 million, have managed to maintain strong performances throughout their theatrical runs. For example, The Force Awakens made nearly 3.8 times its domestic opening weekend earnings during its entire run. Spider-Man: No Way Home had a leggier run than most post-2019 Marvel Studios films, making over 3.1 times its North American opening weekend. Avatar: The Way of Water did even better, surpassing 5 times its domestic opening weekend earnings. Contrast this with typical summer movies that can earn as much as half their lifetime domestic grosses in the first weekend alone.
Movies that earn over $100 million during their initial release in December enjoy a unique advantage. They have the high-grossing weekend performances usually seen with summer blockbusters in May or July, yet they can sustain their box office success throughout December and January, much like how “Jumanji” did. It’s no surprise that launching a major motion picture during December has become one of the most sought-after opportunities in the film industry. Remarkably, it took until 2015 for April to see a $100+ million opener with “Furious 7”, but ever since December started producing such openings, they’ve become the kind of box office debuts that are worthy of being recorded in movie history books.
What Holiday Season 2024 films do you see becoming major domestic earners this year?
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2024-12-16 04:10