There’s not a lot to be thankful for at the Thanksgiving box office. Disney’s “Strange World” failed to entice family audiences, collapsing in its debut with $11.9 million from 4,174 North American theaters over the traditional weekend and $18.6 million over the five-day holiday frame.
That’s a catastrophic result for Disney, which has always been considered the gold standard in animation. The studio is now in crisis. “Lightyear,” It was one of only a few Pixar films that lost money on its theatrical run. “Encanto,” which didn’t become a viral TikTok sensation until the musical fable landed on its streaming service. Budget: $180 Million “Strange World” If Disney does not recover in the coming weeks, this film could be yet another loss-maker. But that’s not likely since the film, an animated adventure about a family of legendary explorers, has mediocre reviews, a tepid “B” CinemaScore, minimal buzz The movie should be able to replicate the success of “Lightyear” The $226 Million global loss was a major blow to the economy. “Encanto” The global fund was funded with $256 million. “Strange World” It stands to lose $100 million during its theatrical run.
“This is a weak opening by Disney animation standards,” says David A. Gross runs Franchise Entertainment Research’s movie consulting company. “At a cost of $180 million, plus marketing expenses, the film will finish in the red, even with good ancillary income.”
Overall, it’s been a bleak Turkey Day holiday at the box office with ticket sales capping off at just $125 million. Those figures mark a 10% decline from last Thanksgiving’s somewhat disappointing $142 million bounty, boosted by “Encanto” And “House of Gucci.” This year’s downward trend is particularly concerning Thanksgiving, at least in the pre-pandemic era, used to consistently deliver strong box office results to the tune of at least $250 million over five days.
“Strange World” may not be getting a sequel or Disney+ spinoff series based on inaugural ticket sales, but there’s still some space for optimism at the Magic Kingdom. Disney and Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” The film dominated the box office charts, landing first in its category for the third straight weekend. “Strange World.” Superhero sequel earned $45.9 Million over the standard weekend. It also brought in $64,000,000 over five days, increasing its domestic gross to $367M. After three weeks of release, it’s already the fifth-highest grossing movie of the year in North America. And soon, it’ll be one of three films in 2022 to cross $400 million at the domestic box office.
More than “Wakanda Forever,” this year’s Thanksgiving offerings were forced to settle for scraps. Third place: “Devotion,” An inspirational drama featuring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell landed the most newcomers the highest start with $6 million in the traditional weekend and $9M since Wednesday. Still, that’s a tragic turnout because the film, from Sony and Black Label Media, carries a $90 million price tag.
Ticket sales have been able to be achieved somehow “Devotion” Comparable to blockbuster stars, they look like “The Fabelmans” And “Bones and All,” They were largely unsuccessful in expanding their theatres. “Bones and All,” An R-rated story of a cannibal romance between director Luca Guadagnino (star Timothee Chalamet) took sixth place, with $2.1million at 2,727 theaters during the traditional weekend and a mediocre $3.4 million for the five-day span.
Number 7. 7, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” finished the weekend with $2.2 million between Friday and Sunday from 638 cinemas — a fraction of the number of theaters playing “Bones and All” — and $3.1 million since Wednesday.
One positive aspect for studios like Universal, which is backing ‘The Fabelmans,” is the shorter theatrical window. Film companies are able to capitalize efficiently on their marketing campaigns by putting films on demand in the weeks following theatrical premieres. This gives them an important financial cushion.
More to come…