Theater counts: Songbirds & Snakes climbs to the top entering its fourth week

December 7, 2023

It’s a rare scenario that a film becomes the widest release in its fourth week in theaters but that is just the case for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Even as the film loses 26 locations this week, it is still available in 3,665 cinemas, which tops our list this week. The film logged in over $14 million in its latest weekend, good enough for second place, in between the two newcomers, RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ, and Godzilla Minus One, which earned $21.8 million and $11.42 million respectively. This week in wide arrivals, two new arrivals make their way into theaters a two classics come back to the big screen.

The largest of the new releases this week is The Boy and the Heron. The Japanese animated film follows a boy named Mahito during the Pacific War who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town after his mother’s death and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron. The GKIDS film is expected to make its North American debut in over 2,200 locations.

Starting out in 640 movie houses this week is The Oath. The feature, which is set in Ancient America in 400 A.D., follows a lone Hebraic fugitive who must preserve the history of his fallen nation while being hunted by a ruthless tyrant. The action-adventure movie will be available on digital and VOD on March 26, 2024.

Is it a Christmas movie or not a Christmas movie? That is the question, as the original Die Hard returns to cinemas this weekend. The Bruce Willis action feature from 1988 has earned over $80 million domestically over its 35 year lifespan and has spawned four sequels for a worldwide franchise box office of $1.43 billion. The re-release will be available in 1,355 venues starting December 8th.

Love Actually will also be making its theatrical comeback this weekend for its 20th anniversary. The romantic comedy with a large ensemble cast opened in 576 locations back in November, 2003 and went on to score just short of $60 million domestically while doing better with international audiences by grabbing $186 million overseas. The film will be available in 923 locations for its re-release.

Rounding out the top five this week is Trolls: Band Together, showing in 3,447 venues this week. Occupying the third spot this week is last week’s widest film in Wish, accessible in 3,410 movie houses. Next up is Ridley Scott’s, Napoleon playing in 3,350 locations, while last weekend’s box office champ, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is expected to hold steady with its opening week count of 2,539 theaters.

Looking ahead to next week we see the launch of the highly-anticipated Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet as the beloved character, Willy Wonka. The musical fantasy adaptation will make its way into an estimated 4,000 theaters.

Theater Counts for December 8

Estimates for December 15

Filed under: Theater Counts, Die Hard, Godzilla, Hunger Games, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bruce Willis, Timothée Chalamet