The film industry had a lot to be thankful for on the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend. Not only did Frozen 2 continue its box office dominance for Disney, original titles like Knives Out and Queen & Slim proved that fresh ideas can still attract moviegoers.
Frozen 2 led for the second weekend in a row with a 3-day gross of $85.9 million and a massive 5-day take of $123.7 million. The 3-day decline is only 34% which is great for a sequel that had a pretty impressive opening last weekend, to begin with. Frozen 2 broke some records this weekend as well, scoring the largest three and five-day grosses over the Thanksgiving holiday frame ever. The film has a domestic take of $288.8 million and it definitely has much more money to make as it will likely thrive during the lucrative month of December when the holiday box office truly heats up. Internationally, the film added another $163.8 million over the three-day and has now grossed $451 million overseas and has a global total of $738.6 million after just 12 days in release. Disney is about to have another billion dollar+ worldwide release and they’re going to sneak in another one before the end of the year with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s Disney’s world, we just live in it.
Debuting impressively in second place is Knives Out which grossed $26.7 million over 3 days and $41.4 million over 5 days. Keep in mind that Knives Out was tracking for $25 million+ over 5 days and it managed to top that over the 3-day stretch and exceeded that greatly over 5 days. Box office wins like this are always exciting because original ideas are far too few in this box office climate and to see one doing well out of the gate, is encouraging for other original ideas moving forward. With an opening like this, Knives Out is about guaranteed to be a $100 million+ earner and it’s a solid win where critics and moviegoers seem to be on the same page. Knives Out is one of the best-reviewed films of the year with a stellar 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it received an “A-” CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Throw in the 8.1/10 user rating on IMDB, and I think we have a film that will see solid legs moving forward. Internationally, Knives Out added another $28.3 million for a $70 million global debut, which includes a $13.5 million launch in China, where it ranked #3 in the marketplace. The film cost $40 million to make so it’s already on the road to profitability.
Falling to third is Ford v. Ferrari which had a great hold with a 3 day gross of $13.1 million and $19 million over 5 days. The 3-day decline is only 16.3% and it’s exactly the hold the film needed to guarantee that will join the 2019 $100 million+ club. The domestic total is now at $81 million and there is still more room for the film to make more money, especially if it scores significant nominations as awards season heats up. Internationally the film added another $10.2 million this weekend for an overseas gross totaling $62.3 million and a global tally that now tops $143 million. Not bad for a film with a $100 million price tag.
Early estimates had out next film in fifth place but the film crept up once the final numbers were released. Queen & Slim debuts in fourth with $11.8 million over 3 days and $16 million over 5 days. What I didn’t notice until after these final numbers came out was that the film was only out to 1,690 locations which makes its take even more impressive. It makes me wonder if Universal Pictures might expand the film a little further this weekend but even if they don’t, I think decent legs are ahead. The film pulled an “A-” CinemaScore and reviews are solid at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. The $17 million film will prove to be a solid investment for Universal and represents another win for original ideas at the box office.
Rounding out the top five is A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood which grossed $11.7 million over 3 days and $17.2 million over five days. The 3-day drop is a slim 11.1% and even though the opening seemed a tad soft last weekend, this is probably the most perfect film for the holiday and it’s likely to play well through December. It’s likely getting one big nomination for Tom Hanks in the Supporting Actor category and that may be enough to keep interest high. The film had a domestic take of $34.2 million after 10 days of release.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
