‘Encanto’ Adds $5.8 Million on Thanksgiving, Heads for $40 Million-Plus Box Office Launch

Naman Ramachandran Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed musical “West Side Story” and beloved canine mascot-hero property “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” were neck and neck for pole position at the U.K. and Ireland weekend box office.Disney release “West Side Story” topped the charts with £1.297 million ($1.72 million), while eOne release “Clifford the Big Red Dog” was just behind with £1.293 million ($1.71 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMarvel’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is swinging to the rescue.Tom Holland’s newest web-slinging adventure “Spider-Man: No Way Home” hits theaters on Friday and is poised to generate $150 million in its box office debut — a heroic feat even by pre-COVID standards. The film’s distributor Sony Pictures modestly predicts a three-day tally closer to $130 million, which would still rank as a huge win.

Refresh for latest…: With stellar critical and audience scores, there is certainly a place for Disney/20th Century Studios’ take on West Side Story — and the hope is that it will grow through the coming weeks. In its debut session at the international box office, however, the Steven Spielberg-directed version of the classic musical landed well below expectations.

Like “In The Heights,” Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of a Broadway and Hollywood classic has won over movie critics and musical buffs alike with an A on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 93% critics and 95% audience.

After a year’s delay due to the pandemic, Steven Spielberg’s remake of the Broadway classic and 10x Oscar-winning 1961 movie, West Side Story, finally tunes up this weekend as the sole wide major studio theatrical release in 2,800 U.S./Canada theaters and offshore debuts in France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and UK. All in, the global outlook is $22M-$31M, with $12M-$17M coming from domestic and $10M-$14M from abroad. The 20th Century Studios-Amblin production is being released by Disney.

With no new wide releases, Disney’s “Encanto” stayed No. 1 with just $12.7 million grossed in its second weekend.

J. Kim Murphy administratorAs is fitting for the days after Thanksgiving, moviegoers are largely turning out for leftovers this weekend.

Jamie Lang Barcelona-based production-distribution outfit Filmax has picked up international rights to Spanish holiday comedy “Our (Perfect) Xmas Retreat” (“El refugio”) following the film’s successful domestic theatrical release. Premiering in Spain on Nov.

“Encanto” is set to take No. 1, adding $11 million on Friday to bring its 3-day total to $24.3 million and its estimated 5-day opening to $43 million, beating projections for a $35-40 million launch.

Thanksgiving — “Coco” launched at the same time of year with $72 million and “Ralph Breaks the Internet” did as well with $84 million — the result was the best opening for an animated movie during the pandemic.Family films have been especially slow to bounce back, though with kids increasingly getting vaccinated, hopes have been rising that releases such as “Encanto” can lead a rebound.

Encanto is on top at the box office!

“Encanto” has opened to roughly half of which fellow Disney films “Moana” ($82 million) and “Ralph Breaks the Internet” ($84.7 million) earned in their Thanksgiving openings, but is notable for being the first animated film this year to release exclusively in theaters. Studios have hedged their bets on family turnout to theaters by releasing animated films like “Paw Patrol: The Movie” and “Space Jam 2” day-and-date.

SUNDAY AM UPDATE, Refresh for more analysis and chart: Without Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick in the marketplace, the Thanksgiving box office was much lighter than previous holidays, grossing an estimated $141.3M over 5-days, off 46% from 2019’s pre-pandemic holiday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDisney has reclaimed its rightful place at the top of Thanksgiving box office charts.

“Encanto” is set to take No. 1, adding $11 million on Friday to bring its 3-day total to $24.3 million and its estimated 5-day opening to $43 million, beating projections for a $35-40 million launch.

J. Kim Murphy administratorWhile this year’s Thanksgiving box office will wind up totaling far less than previous years’ holidays, there were still plenty of viewers to go around between the weekend’s offerings.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDisney’s “Encanto,” a magical fable that has earned critical raves, led a muted Thanksgiving box office, earning $5.8 million on Thursday and pushing its domestic total to $13.3 million.This holiday is shaping up to be far quieter than past ones, a sign that COVID-19 continues to depress ticket sales in the U.S. despite the widespread availability of boosters and vaccines for younger children.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDisney’s “Encanto” topped the Wednesday box office, netting $7.5 million in its first full day of release. The family film has heavy competition over the Thanksgiving holiday.