The latest Disney/Pixar release Coco commanded a busy Thanksgiving week at the North America box office. The animated feature pushed aside Warner’s Justice League down to second place while Wonder continued to over perform in third. The week’s other new arrival, Sony’s Roman J. Israel, Esq., sputtered in ninth place. Overall, the top ten was up over last year’s holiday frame by three percent.
Opening on 3,987 screens this past Wednesday, Coco scored a big $71 million in its first five days, $49 million of which came from the Friday-to-Sunday timeframe. The debut for Coco is the fourth-highest Thanksgiving debut –not adjusted for inflation- behind fellow Mouse House flicks Frozen, Toy Story 2 and Moana.
Following the underwhelming reception and box office performance of this summer’s Cars 3, Coco’s opening weekend came as welcome news for Pixar. The film scored a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80/100 from Metacritic. Ticket buyers were right in line with the critics, which should guarantee Coco a healthy year end run at the box office. They gave the Lee Unkrich/Adrian Molina feature an “A+.”
Following an early run in Mexico that saw it become the biggest film of all time in that country, Coco began its international expansion with a $30.7 million haul. After one month, the foreign total for Coco stands at $83 million.
After underwhelming last weekend with a $93 million start, Warner’s Justice League dropped 57% this weekend on 4,051 screens –the biggest business decrease in the top ten- to earn an estimated $40.7 million. The domestic gross on the pricey superhero epic stands at $171.5 million after ten days.
Despite the benefit of being released during Thanksgiving week where holiday movies and themed real money casino games at aussieonlinepokies are always popular, Justice League is still lagging far behind fellow DCEU flicks Wonder Woman ($206 million in its first ten days of release), Suicide Squad ($222 million) and Batman V Superman ($260 million). At this rate, the $300 million League may wind down with a franchise-low $250 million, possibly even less. Overseas, the League has amassed $310 million so far.
Word-of-mouth among filmgoers helped power Lionsgate’s Wonder to another great weekend as the acclaimed family drama scored $22.3 million in its second round on 3,140 screens. Off only 19% from its strong debut, Wonder has brought in $69.4 million so far. The film should cross the $100 million club by mid-December.
Disney/Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok commanded $16.8 million from 3,281 theaters in fourth place, a decrease of only 22% from the previous week. Within striking distance of the $300 million mark, Thor has scored a mighty $277.4 million after one month. A final haul near the $320 million mark is possible for The Revengers. Overseas, Ragnarok has brought in a massive $512.6 million.
Rounding out the top five was Paramount’s Daddy’s Home 2 with $13.25 million. Off only eight percent, the Will Ferrell/Marky Mark team up has laughed up $73 million worth of business so far. A final domestic gross around $95 million is a possibility.
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) (Fox) $13 million (-6%); $74.2 million
- The Star (Sony) $6.9 million (-30%); $22 million
- A Bad Moms’ Christmas (STX) $5 million (-29%); $60 million
- Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Sony) $4.5 million; $6.2 million
The latest Denzel Washington feature received mostly mixed notices from critics and lukewarm feedback from the public. Roman scored a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 58/100 from Metacritic and a “B” on CinemaScore.
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight) $4.4 million; $7.6 million
Leftovers will be the story for next weekend as there will be no new films going into wide release. However, three anticipated features – The Disaster Artist, The Shape of Water and Wonder Wheel– will begin their runs in limited release. Coco will remain on top, but the fast-fading Justice League may switch places with Wonder in a fight for second place.
