Although Wonka is the undisputed king of the box office this winter, having earned £56.1m since its release in mid-December, it’s Anyone But You, a frothy romcom that recalls the genre’s 2000s heyday, that’s most surprised the film industry in recent weeks. Released last month, the Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell-starring film opened to meagre box office results in the US – $6m (£4.7m) during its first weekend – and a fairly average £1.2m in the UK.
Since then, the film has shown surprisingly strong staying power, thanks largely to positive word of mouth, as well as the lack of winter films for female audiences. In its first three weeks at the UK box office, the film has continued to gross in the ballpark of its £1.2m debut, a relatively uncommon box office phenomenon. In the US, it’s shown even stronger performance, making nearly $10m (£7.8m) in its third weekend, and outpacing its $6m debut in each subsequent weekend.
