Expectations were always there.
After the disappointments of "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" failing to replicate the summer box office magic and fully open the holiday market, all eyes were now on Catch Me If You Can—or more accurately, on Anson.
But alongside that, doubts remained.
No one could be 100% sure what would happen at the box office during the holidays. If "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" couldn't break the market, it would be even harder for other films to smash through the ceiling.
It was against this backdrop of both nervous anticipation and uncertainty that it happened.
$13 million.
Catch Me If You Can exploded onto the scene, setting a new record for the highest single-day box office on Christmas Day. The film raised the bar by 30% compared to last year's "Ali," and pushed the historical record to new heights, launching this holiday season with a bang.
It happened—it really happened.
Cheers erupted everywhere.
Of course, the clout of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks was undeniable. The marketability of these two industry titans was top-tier. But Hollywood couldn't help focusing its gaze on Anson.
After all, Anson was the core lead.
After all, the holidays had seen a breakthrough after the summer season's success.
After all, it's one thing to say that Spider-Man was a stroke of luck, and maybe Catch Me If You Can was a coincidence. But when this kind of feat happens twice in a row with the same actor, professionals had to start paying attention. Intuition kicked in—something bigger was happening here.
The doubters kept whispering: Spider-Man relied on the comic book fanbase. Catch Me If You Can relied on the star power of two heavyweights. Was Anson really a box office draw, or was his agent just good at picking projects that let Anson ride the wave to stardom? He was only 20, with just three films to his name—how could he possibly have star power? And to compare him to Leonardo DiCaprio? Ridiculous!
Bitterness, mockery, jealousy, contempt, and ridicule.
And yet, even those voices had to admit that Anson had once again "caught the wave." His recognition and popularity were rocketing, and all eyes turned to the box office.
Without a doubt, Catch Me If You Can took in $13 million on Christmas Day, smashing records and dominating the headlines. It ignited the holiday box office excitement.
In 1998, Robin Williams' Patch Adams took in $8 million on Christmas Day, setting a new record.
In 2001, Will Smith's Ali went further, grabbing $10 million on Christmas Day and pushing the record even higher.
And now, this year.
From $8 million to $10 million, and now to $13 million, each milestone was a leap forward. Catch Me If You Can raised the bar again in just a short time.
Wait, this sounds familiar…
Wasn't this what happened over the summer? Spider-Man also burst onto the scene and blew away box office records in an unstoppable fashion.
Could it be… that Catch Me If You Can was about to repeat the same feat?
That was the hope people had for Anson.
But it wasn't that simple.
The holiday season was notoriously unpredictable—this wasn't just talk.
Patch Adams opened with $25 million over the weekend, eventually grossing $135 million domestically.
Ali opened with just $10 million and only reached $58 million in total.
Both films broke records on Christmas Day, but their box office trajectories were worlds apart.
Why?
The reasons weren't straightforward. It had to do with everything from the film's genre to its promotional strategy and how well it matched the holiday mood. But this unpredictability is what made the holiday box office so hard to crack.
Hollywood was still trying to figure it out, experimenting and taking risks.
Warner Bros. was one studio doing just that.
In fact, Warner Bros. had already seen some success.
Currently, the record for the highest holiday opening weekend was held by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which made $90 million—an impressive figure even for the summer box office. The second-highest belonged to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which had just opened with $88 million, another great number, though it failed to cross the $100 million threshold like Spider-Man.
Both Harry Potter films released in November, targeting the Thanksgiving box office.
Meanwhile, the December opening weekend record was held by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, with $62 million, just set the previous week. Second place belonged to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring from the previous year, which earned $47 million—also a strong showing.
This was the confidence Warner Bros. had as it tried to conquer the holiday box office.
In fact, Harry Potter 2 and The Two Towers were performing incredibly well. The latter had even increased the December opening weekend record by 32%, with a five-day total of over $100 million—a media sensation in itself.
But Warner Bros. and the media had hoped for even more.
Now, all eyes were on Catch Me If You Can as buzz, doubt, excitement, and anticipation grew.
Wednesday's opening day brought in $13 million.
Thursday? $10 million.
Wait—what?
A collective gasp!
The box office hadn't continued rising or held steady but instead had dropped noticeably. The holiday box office curse seemed to rear its head again, cooling down some of the initial hype. People began to hesitate, a bit of concern creeping in.
That said, earning $10 million on a Thursday was still impressive! But following the record-breaking Christmas Day, it suddenly didn't seem like enough.
People quickly realized a crucial point: last week saw strong competition from The Two Towers, Maid in Manhattan, Gangs of New York, and more. This week, audiences had endless choices at the theater. By the weekend, Catch Me If You Can would face even more competition.
It was tough. Really tough.
Amid the nervous whispers, the weekend box office battle began. And the results?
Catch Me If You Can surged ahead.
Friday brought in $27 million.
Stunned!
What was happening?
A powerful comeback! A stunning reversal!
The worries sparked by Thursday's drop were instantly silenced, as Hollywood found itself swept up in yet another box office storm.
Fueled by Anson's whirlwind promotional tour through middle America, the buzz was building fast.
Saturday? $30 million.
Wait, what?
Sunday? $25 million.
And just like that, jaws dropped everywhere.