'Encanto' Wins a Quiet Thanksgiving Weekend in Theaters
by EG
Moviegoers didn't exactly flock to theaters over the Thanksgiving weekend, but business at the box office was not bad for the pandemic era. Animated family film Encanto led the pack, and designer drama House of Gucci had respectable ticket sales, too. Read on for details.
While moviegoing over the long 2021 Thanksgiving corridor didn’t come close to reaching pre-pandemic levels, Hollywood feasted on gains for family fare and adult dramas.
Walt Disney Animation’s original musical adventure Encanto topped the domestic chart with a Wednesday-Sunday opening of $40.3 million, the best start of the pandemic era for an animated title. That includes $27 million for the three-day weekend. Overseas, Encanto opened to $29.3 million from more than 47 markets for a global launch of $69.6 million.
Disney always releases an animated film over Thanksgiving, albeit to far bigger numbers. The last original movie to launch over the holiday, Coco, posted a five-day domestic gross of $72.9 million in 2018. Among franchise installments, Frozen II amassed more than $125 million for the five days in 2019.
While Encanto opened in line with expectations, many in Hollywood had hoped it would do more. There’s concern over the pace of the overall box office recovery, particularly in the wake of the new, omicron COVID-19 variant, which could spook domestic audiences after already prompting some cinema closures in parts of Europe.
Encanto, featuring original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, tells the tale of a Colombian teenager who has to save her extended family’s magic, although she has no special gifts of her own. Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith directed, while the voice cast includes Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Adassa, Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, Angie Cepeda, Jessica Darrow, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitán, Ravi Cabot-Conyers and John Leguizamo.
Fueled by Latinos and an A CinemaScore in North America, Encanto was the first animated studio title to receive an exclusive theatrical window since the COVID-19 crisis struck in spring 2020 (until recently, kids under the age of 11 couldn’t be vaccinated).
Directed by Ridley Scott, Gucci sewed up a five-day debut of $21.8 million and $14.2 million for the weekend, both record numbers for an adult drama in the pandemic era and reflecting star Lady Gaga’s appeal among younger adults. Nearly half of ticket buyers, or 45 percent, were between the ages of 18-34, while 34 percent were 45 and older.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.