The wildest dreams of cinema owners across the country have come true. Thanks in large part to Disney’s “Moana 2” and Universal’s “Wicked” with help from Paramount’s “Gladiator II,” total revenue for the five-day Thanksgiving weekend rose to an estimated $423 million, breaking the previous record of $314.8 million. 2018.
“Moana 2,” fueled by several years of kids endlessly watching its 2016 predecessor on Disney+, led the way with a five-day opening of $221 million. That includes an estimated $136.8 million from Friday through Sunday. opening that ranks among the top 5 highest animated films, while the 5-day opening breaks the extended launch record of $204.6 million set by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in Easter weekend 2023.
With this start, accompanied by $165 million from overseas markets, “Moana 2” now has a global opening of $386 million and is a virtual lock to join “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” as Disney’s third $1 billion hit. will have no more competition for family audiences until Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and Disney’s “Mufasa” arrive in theaters in three weeks.
Meanwhile, “Wicked” will surpass $400 million in domestic grosses with a shot at $500 million after its incredible five-day holiday total of $117.5 million. That brings the Jon M. Chu musical to $262 million in North America after two weekends in theaters, the most ever for a Broadway adaptation.
If there was any concern about whether the great word of mouth for ‘Wicked’ would stand up to the overwhelming excitement for ‘Moana 2’, that is now gone. Hardcore fans of the musical who have returned for repeat screenings are joined by general audiences intrigued by the buzz; and with the strongest audience reception scores of any wide release currently in theaters, “Wicked” should have no problem continuing not just into December but well into winter.
“Gladiator II” sits a distant but still impressive third with $44 million over five days, bringing the Ridley Scott sequel’s total to $111.2 million domestically and $320 million worldwide after two weekends.
As expected, the sword-and-sandals epic is finding its footing in theaters with audiences who aren’t interested in animated films or musicals and want something more intense. It’s a demonstration of the power of counter-programming and the ability of theaters to support multiple high-budget films if they contrast enough to offer something for everyone.
Also impressive is that ‘Gladiator II’ was expected to age its audience over the course of its run, but that hasn’t happened yet. Paramount reports that 52% of its Thanksgiving weekend audience is under the age of 35, demonstrating the film’s success in winning over moviegoers who were too young to have seen the first “Gladiator” in theaters in 2000.
Amazon MGM’s “Red One” is in fourth place with $18.7 million over five days for a domestic total of $76 million after three weekends, while Lionsgate’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” rounds out the top 5 with $4.85 million and a domestic total of $32 million.
More to come…
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