The US box office reached the best total in 2023 since before the pandemic
From CNN's Ramishah Maruf
An advertisement for the "Barbie" movie is seen at a theater in Los Angeles, California, on July 20. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
The 2023 domestic box office surpassed $9 billion, the highest since the pandemic, Comscore said. However,it’s still $2 billion short of the yearly movie ticket sales reached before the pandemic.
Despite a tepid fall season at the box office, the viral “Barbenheimer” phenomenon delivered a stunning boost to movie ticket sales this year. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” brought in about $636 million domestically and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” raked in $626 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Comscore estimates that, once the past weekend’s box office numbers are in – which was led by “Wonka” – 2023’s total will be just over $9 billion. Compared to 2019, the 2023 box office had 17 fewer wide-release films, which makes its numbers “all the more impressive,” said Paul Dergarabedian, chief Comscore media analyst.
“Wonka” and “Barbie” were both distributed by Warner Bros., which is owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
“2023 was one of the most tumultuous, confounding and indeed exciting years for the industry with audiences enthusiastically interested the moviegoing experience and the films on offer at the multiplex while delivering insights into what is appealing and what is not from their perspective as reflected in the many unexpected hits and misses during the year,” Dergarabedian said.
However, it’s still 20% less than 2019 earnings, which brought in $11.4 billion. That year’s highlight was “Avengers: Endgame,” which earned $858.4 million in ticket sales.
But compared to 2020, the height of the pandemic, the domestic box office gross saw an almost 300% jump, according to data from Comscore.
"Barbie" leads Golden Globe film nominations. Here's the list of nominees
From CNN's Lisa Respers France
Margot Robbie in “Barbie.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
It was a good day for everyone who took the time to do a Barbenheimer double feature when Golden Globe nominations were revealed last month.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” scored the most nominations of any film with nine and “Oppenheimer,” from director Christopher Nolan, scored eight.
Also, the Globes staged a huge sendoff for HBO’s “Succession,” for which multiple cast members scored individual acting nominations, in addition to a best drama series nod, for a total of nine nominations.
There were 27 first-time nominees including Ali Wong, Chris Rock, Steven Yeun and Trevor Noah.
Here's a look at some of the nominees in film categories:
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Barbie”
“Poor Things”
“American Fiction”
“The Holdovers”
“May December”
“Air”
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Oppenheimer”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Past Lives”
“The Zone of Interest”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“Barbie”
“Poor Things”
“Oppenheimer”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Past Lives”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Addicted to Romance,” Bruce Springsteen, “She Came to Me”
“Dance the Night,” Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, “Barbie”
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, “Barbie”
“Peaches,” Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker “The Super Mario Bros. Move”
“Road to Freedom,” Lenny Kravitz, “Rustin”
“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish & Finneas, “Barbie”
Chris Rock and Ali Wong are among celebrities who declined to host this year's Golden Globes
From CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister
Chris Rock and Ali Wong. Jamie McCarthy/Charley Gallay/Getty Images
Two-time Oscar host Chris Rock is among celebrities who declined offers to host the Golden Globe Awards, a source with knowledge of the conversations told CNN last month. At least four other A-list comedic actors turned down offers to host as well.
Rock, who was also asked to host the previous Golden Globes, last attended a major award show in 2022 when he was famously slapped at the Oscars by Will Smith for telling a joke that referenced Jada Pinkett Smith’s battle with alopecia.
Rock is nominated in the Globes' new category, best performance in stand-up comedy on television for his Netflix special, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.” It's the comedian's first Golden Globe nomination.
Another potential nominee for her performance in the Netflix series “Beef,” Ali Wong, was also approached to host the Globes, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN. As first reported by Puck, Wong declined the gig, the source said.
Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, who co-host the podcast “SmartLess,” also turned down a joint offer to emcee the Globes, two sources aware of the deal told CNN.
Had the trio said yes, it would have marked the first time the Globes had three hosts since Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Nielsen and Jane Seymour co-helmed the show in 1993.
Talent turning down the job to host a major awards show is not unusual and certainly is not unique to the Globes. For an up-and-coming comedian, the gig may be the opportunity of a lifetime, but for a seasoned veteran, with all of the preparation and immediate – often negative – feedback, the juice is not worth the squeeze.
“It’s a thankless job,” one celebrity publicist told CNN. “It’s not worth it,” another top publicist said of hosting award shows. “There are a lot of politics. It’s not easy and it’s not fun anymore.”
A representative for Rock, Wong and "SmartLess" declined to comment.
Welcome to the 2024 awards season: The 81st edition of the Golden Globes takes place tonight in Los Angeles, unofficially heralding the start of a new and decidedly different awards season.
Your host: The show, which will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, is being hosted by comedian Jo Koy. "We’re back, we're happy, we're gonna celebrate,” he told CNN.
Is it "Barbenheimer's" moment? Frontrunner nominees in the film categories include “Barbie” with nine nods, and “Oppenheimer” with eight, thereby cementing the cultural validity of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon last year. On the television side, the final season of the HBO drama “Succession” leads the pack with nine nominations.
Celeb watch: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Meryl Streep are among the celebrities expected to make appearances tonight.
Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin in “Succession” season 4. Claudette Barius/HBO
HBO's hit show "Succession" is leading the night in Golden Globe television nominations with nine for its final season.
Trailing with five nominations each are Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" and "The Bear."
Here are some of the nominees in television categories:
Best Television Series Drama
“1923”
“The Crown”
“The Diplomat”
“The Last of Us”
“The Morning Show”
“Succession”
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“The Bear”
“Ted Lasso”
“Abbott Elementary”
“Jury Duty”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Barry”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Dominic West, “The Crown”
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama
An advertisement for the "Barbie" movie is seen at a theater in Los Angeles, California, on July 20. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
The 2023 domestic box office surpassed $9 billion, the highest since the pandemic, Comscore said. However,it’s still $2 billion short of the yearly movie ticket sales reached before the pandemic.
Despite a tepid fall season at the box office, the viral “Barbenheimer” phenomenon delivered a stunning boost to movie ticket sales this year. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” brought in about $636 million domestically and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” raked in $626 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Comscore estimates that, once the past weekend’s box office numbers are in – which was led by “Wonka” – 2023’s total will be just over $9 billion. Compared to 2019, the 2023 box office had 17 fewer wide-release films, which makes its numbers “all the more impressive,” said Paul Dergarabedian, chief Comscore media analyst.
“Wonka” and “Barbie” were both distributed by Warner Bros., which is owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
“2023 was one of the most tumultuous, confounding and indeed exciting years for the industry with audiences enthusiastically interested the moviegoing experience and the films on offer at the multiplex while delivering insights into what is appealing and what is not from their perspective as reflected in the many unexpected hits and misses during the year,” Dergarabedian said.
However, it’s still 20% less than 2019 earnings, which brought in $11.4 billion. That year’s highlight was “Avengers: Endgame,” which earned $858.4 million in ticket sales.
But compared to 2020, the height of the pandemic, the domestic box office gross saw an almost 300% jump, according to data from Comscore.
Margot Robbie in “Barbie.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
It was a good day for everyone who took the time to do a Barbenheimer double feature when Golden Globe nominations were revealed last month.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” scored the most nominations of any film with nine and “Oppenheimer,” from director Christopher Nolan, scored eight.
Also, the Globes staged a huge sendoff for HBO’s “Succession,” for which multiple cast members scored individual acting nominations, in addition to a best drama series nod, for a total of nine nominations.
There were 27 first-time nominees including Ali Wong, Chris Rock, Steven Yeun and Trevor Noah.
Here's a look at some of the nominees in film categories:
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Barbie”
“Poor Things”
“American Fiction”
“The Holdovers”
“May December”
“Air”
Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Oppenheimer”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Past Lives”
“The Zone of Interest”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“Barbie”
“Poor Things”
“Oppenheimer”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Past Lives”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Addicted to Romance,” Bruce Springsteen, “She Came to Me”
“Dance the Night,” Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, “Barbie”
“I’m Just Ken,” Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, “Barbie”
“Peaches,” Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker “The Super Mario Bros. Move”
“Road to Freedom,” Lenny Kravitz, “Rustin”
“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish & Finneas, “Barbie”
Chris Rock and Ali Wong. Jamie McCarthy/Charley Gallay/Getty Images
Two-time Oscar host Chris Rock is among celebrities who declined offers to host the Golden Globe Awards, a source with knowledge of the conversations told CNN last month. At least four other A-list comedic actors turned down offers to host as well.
Rock, who was also asked to host the previous Golden Globes, last attended a major award show in 2022 when he was famously slapped at the Oscars by Will Smith for telling a joke that referenced Jada Pinkett Smith’s battle with alopecia.
Rock is nominated in the Globes' new category, best performance in stand-up comedy on television for his Netflix special, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.” It's the comedian's first Golden Globe nomination.
Another potential nominee for her performance in the Netflix series “Beef,” Ali Wong, was also approached to host the Globes, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN. As first reported by Puck, Wong declined the gig, the source said.
Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, who co-host the podcast “SmartLess,” also turned down a joint offer to emcee the Globes, two sources aware of the deal told CNN.
Had the trio said yes, it would have marked the first time the Globes had three hosts since Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Nielsen and Jane Seymour co-helmed the show in 1993.
Talent turning down the job to host a major awards show is not unusual and certainly is not unique to the Globes. For an up-and-coming comedian, the gig may be the opportunity of a lifetime, but for a seasoned veteran, with all of the preparation and immediate – often negative – feedback, the juice is not worth the squeeze.
“It’s a thankless job,” one celebrity publicist told CNN. “It’s not worth it,” another top publicist said of hosting award shows. “There are a lot of politics. It’s not easy and it’s not fun anymore.”
A representative for Rock, Wong and "SmartLess" declined to comment.
