Feast and famine for Disney at Thanksgiving box office

Thanksgiving typically serves up a feast of latest household films at the box office, however the Walt Disney Co.’s animated providing “ Strange World ” fizzled with audiences out of the gates. The manufacturing, which carried a reported $180 million funds, grossed simply $18.6 million in ticket gross sales in its first 5 days and $11.9 million over the weekend in North American theaters, based on studio estimates Sunday.

The prime spot for the vacation hall, which runs from Wednesday by means of Sunday, as a substitute went to a different Disney film, Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which raked in an extra $64 million over the past 5 days, $45.9 million of which was from the weekend. The superhero sequel has reigned over the charts for three weekends now and has grossed $675.6 million worldwide.

It was a muted weekend regardless of a buffet of well-reviewed choices, together with the Korean War aviation drama “ Devotion,” the nationwide growth of the Timothée Chalamet cannibal romance “ Bones and All ” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.”

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” additionally opened in 600 theaters nationwide for a weeklong restricted run. It marks the primary time a Netflix movie has performed within the nation’s main theater chains, together with AMC, Regal and Cinemark, however neither Netflix nor the exhibitors supplied gross sales estimates for the movie, which gained’t hit the streaming service till Dec. 23. The first “Knives Out,” which was launched by Lionsgate, opened to $41.4 million over Thanksgiving weekend in 2019.

Between the “Glass Onion” thriller and the “Strange World” miss, it was a reminder that the exhibition enterprise continues to be removed from regular.

“This was not pre-destined to be a blockbuster Thanksgiving weekend,” stated Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. He famous that {the marketplace} continues to be being impacted by the pandemic’s results on Hollywood manufacturing and launch schedules.

Disney has traditionally “owned” the Thanksgiving weekend. Walt Disney Studios and Pixar animated titles account for the highest six Thanksgiving openings of all time, together with movies akin to “Frozen,” which made $93.6 million in 2013, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which pulled in $84.8 million in 2018 and “Moana,” which earned $82.1 million when it opened in 2016. But it’s additionally been a tough two years at the corporate, which final week shocked the trade when it introduced that Bob Iger was returning to the corporate as CEO, changing his handpicked successor Bob Chapek

“Strange World” opened in 4,714 areas on Wednesday, but it surely was clear from early preview showings that it was going to be gradual going. On Friday, it earned solely $5.2 million. “Wakanda Forever,” in contrast, made $18.2 million on Friday in 4,258 theaters and has been out for three weeks.

The animated journey movie’s debut is without doubt one of the larger bombs within the trendy historical past of the Disney Animation studio, just like the $16 million 2002 Thanksgiving opening of “Treasure Planet.” “Strange World” was directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen and follows a household of explorers and options the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu. Reviews have been principally optimistic, with a 73% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

A scarcity of latest household oriented movies over the previous a number of weeks could have resulted in “muted” consciousness for “Strange World,” based on Dergarabedian.

Third place went to “Devotion,” directed by JD Dillard and starring Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powel, which made $9 million in its first 5 days and $6 million over the weekend from 3,405 areas. The movie was made by Black Label Media and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 3,405 areas. The battle epic relies on the true story of Jesse Brown, the primary Black aviator within the historical past of the U.S. Navy, who alongside together with his good friend Tom Hudner had been pivotal in turning the tide in some of the brutal battles of the Korean War.

“ The Menu,” the satirical fine-dining thriller starring Ralph Feinnes and Anya Taylor-Joy, landed in fourth in its second weekend, with $7.4 million over the previous 5 days and $5.2 million over the weekend. Fifth place went to “Black Adam.”

In sixth place for the weekend was Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” which relies on the filmmaker’s circle of relatives and teenage years. The Universal launch expanded to 638 theaters, the place it earned $3.1 million over 5 days and $2.2 million over the weekend.

United Artists Releasing rolled “Bones and All” out to 2,727 theaters, the place it made an estimated $3.6 million over the five-day opening, with $2.2 million of that coming from the weekend. According to exit polls, some 74% of the viewers was between the ages of 18 and 34. The R-rated movie from Luca Guadagnino stars Chalamet and Taylor Russell as younger cannibals on a street journey by means of the American Midwest.

In extra restricted releases, Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection ” expanded to 32 screens and earned $103,033 over 5 days.

Overall ticket gross sales are anticipated to internet out round $125 million. That could be down about 12% from final 12 months, which boasted releases akin to “Encanto,” which opened to $40.6 million even with a spiking COVID-19 variant. For movie show house owners, it locations much more strain on “Avatar: The Way of Water,” to ship a giant windfall to shut out the 12 months. It launches on Dec. 16.

“Usually Thanksgiving weekend is all about kids and families going to the theater. This year, it’s a heavy mix of films aimed at adults and that’s not a recipe for a box office feast in theaters,” Dergarabedian stated. “But it’ll come back in a big way when Avatar opens.”

Estimated ticket gross sales for Friday by means of Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, based on Comscore, with five-day Wednesday by means of Sunday in parentheses. Final home figures will likely be launched Monday.

1. ”Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $45.9 million ($64 million).

2. “Strange World,” $11.9 million ($18.6 million).

3. “Devotion,” $6 million ($9 million).

4. “The Menu,” $5.2 million ($7.4 million).

5. “Black Adam,” $3.4 million.

6. “The Fabelmans,” $2.2 million ($3.1 million).

7. “Bones and All,” $2.2 million ($3.6 million).

8. “Ticket to Paradise,”$1.9 million ($2.6 million).

9. “The Chosen Season 3: Episode 1 &2,” $1.6 million.

10. “She Said,” $1.1 million ($1.5 million).

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.