Ah, the weekend after Thanksgiving. A time where everyone begins to to get ready for the holidays, be it shopping or attending festivities such as parties and community gatherings.
One thing it is not known for is going to the movies. This was the case once again this year as those who did venture to their local multiplex opted to feast on the cinematic equivalent of holiday leftovers.
Leading the pack once again with $35.1 million from 4,348 winter wonderlands was, you guessed it, Disney’s Frozen II. Down 59%in its third weekend, the popular cartoon as brought in a big $338 million. Internationally, the film has pocketed $582.1 million so far. Frozen II will skate its way past the billion-dollar box office milestone within the next week.
While the domestic haul for Frozen II has been nothing short of spectacular so far, the 59% drop in its post-holiday frame is a bit unexpected. In comparison to the post-Thanksgiving drops of recent Mouse House animated offerings -53% for the original Frozen, 54% for last year’s Ralph Breaks the Internet and 46% for Coco– 59% is somewhat sizable.
Granted, Frozen II had a bigger opening weekend than any of those films thanks to upfront demand from fans. But a 59% decrease in a film’s third weekend could also serve as an indication that the new film isn’t as satisfying as the original. Should that turn out to be the case, forecasts of the film finishing around the $450 million mark in North America might be a bit too optimistic.
In second place with an estimated $14.2 million from 3,461 mansions was Lionsgate’s Knives Out. The acclaimed Rian Johnson comedy/mystery –see it, it’s fantastic- is clearly benefitting from strong word-of-mouth from viewers as evidenced by the mild 47% drop from its holiday frame. With $63.5 million in ticket sales after only ten days, Knives Out should be able to clear at least $100 million by Christmastime. Year-end awards could push its domestic haul even higher. Internationally, Knives Out has earned $60 million so far.
Racing its way into third place was the excellent Disney/Fox racing drama Ford v. Ferrari, which continued to accelerate toward the $100 million club with $6.65 million take from 3,746 theaters. Down 49%, the James Mangold awards contender has pocketed $91.2 million after one month of release. Foreign totals for Ford v. Ferrari stand at $76.5 million.
Very close behind in fourth place with $6.642 million from 1,715 theaters was Universal’s Queen & Slim. Down a modest 44% from its holiday debut, Queen & Slim has brought in $27 million so far. A final domestic haul of around $45 million is possible for the $20 million production.
Rounding out the top five was Sony’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with $5.2 million from 3,491 screens. Down 56%, Day has brought in $43.1 million in ticket sales over the past three weeks.
6. Dark Waters (Focus) $3.9 million; $5.1 million
The new drama starring Mark Ruffalo expanded into 2,102 theaters this weekend but was largely ignored by the public. The Todd Haynes feature will have to rely on strong word-of-mouth and awards consideration to keep it afloat at the box office throughout the holidays.
7. 21 Bridges (STX) $2.8 million (-48%); $24 million
8. Playing With Fire (Paramount) $2 million (-52%); $42 million
9. Midway (Lionsgate) $1.93 million (-51%); $53.3 million
10. Last Christmas (Universal) $1.01 million (-49%); $33.4 million
Finally, let us take a moment to recognize not the one wide release of the weekend, STX’s Playmobil: The Movie. With awful reviews thrust upon it and practically no marketing campaign to speak of, Playmobil launched into 2,337 venues Friday and mustered a disastrous $656,530 for the weekend. Don’t be surprised if you see this one on the shelves of your local Target in a couple of weeks.
Next weekend, the box office should perk back up with the arrival of five new features: Jumanji: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, the remake of Black Christmas, Bombshell and Uncut Gems.
