Even though the weather played in their favor, the province's cinemas recorded lower-than-expected attendance during the festive period.
“We had a lot of good days, but never great days. It was quite irregular,” summarizes the co-president of the Association of Quebec Cinema Owners, Éric Bouchard.
Since it was not possible to practice certain winter activities due to the lack of snow, we had to expect that the cinemas would be crowded during the holidays. But ultimately it was the lack of a major Hollywood success “à la Avatar” that prevented the cinemas from reaching full capacity.
“It makes us realize how much it takes to have a great success that serves as a locomotive for others,” notes Éric Bouchard. This year we had a few films that did well during the holidays, but we didn't have a powerhouse like Avatar 2 last year.
Like our neighbors to the south, “Wonka” was the most popular film in the province’s theaters during the holiday season. The musical comedy about the origins of the character Willy Wonka, released on December 15th, had grossed more than $2.4 million at the Quebec box office as of January 4th, according to the Cinéac agency.
Despite unflattering reviews, the second part of the Aquaman saga (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) also did well in cinemas in the province and grossed $2 million.
The third step on the podium is occupied by the animated family film Migration, which grossed more than $1.3 million in Quebec cinemas.
Great success for Ru
Photo provided by Drowster / Immina Films
Quebec cinema also performed well at the box office during the holidays, particularly thanks to the success of “Ru.” Six weeks after its theatrical release, the film adaptation of Kim Thuy's novel continues to enjoy popularity, grossing more than $1.5 million as of January 4th.
The Quebec comedy “Sapin$”, which was released a few days before Christmas, managed to climb into the top 10 most popular films thanks to a total of $314,025 in the two weeks of the holiday.
“2023 was a very good year for cinema in Quebec at the box office and we continued this good momentum over the holidays,” says Éric Bouchard.
“Ru continues to do well and Sapin$ is doing well. This is encouraging for 2024.”