The domestic box office set a new record for the highest-earning Thanksgiving weekend, with the trifecta of Disney’s Moana 2 ($221M), Universal’s Wicked ($117M), and Paramount’s Gladiator II ($44M) combining to $382.5M over the 5-day frame on their own and eclipsing 2018’s 5-day tally of $315M. The top three movies at the box office claimed 75% of all showtimes in the United States, reflecting the tremendous demand generated by that trio of titles.
The overall box office also set a new record for the highest-earning 3-day Thanksgiving weekend, combining to $271M to easily surpass 2018’s $216M total.
On a year-over-year basis, the domestic box office came in a staggering +57.3% over last year’s Thanksgiving 3-Day when Hunger Games, Disney’s Wish, and Scott’s Napoleon held the top three spots.
Overall the holiday box office represented $422M over the 5-Day, breaking the previous record from 2018 when Ralph Breaks the Internet took the market to $315.6M total. This is also the first $200M+ 3-Day since 2018.
1. Moana 2
Walt Disney Pictures | NEW
$135.5M 3-Day Domestic Debut
$221M 5-Day Domestic Debut
$386.3M Global Opening Weekend
We didn’t know how far Disney’s Moana 2 would go. Still, it exceeded all expectations with estimated 3-Day weekend earnings of $135.5M in 4,200 locations ($32,262 Per Screen Average), and $221M total for the 5-Day launch since Wednesday, including $13.8M in Tuesday previews. Premium formats represented 30% of the total box office, including 14% for 3D/Motion 3D, 13% for PLF 2D, and 3% for IMAX. The latter format posted its own domestic IMAX Thanksgiving record with $15.8M from the Top 3 titles, including $6.2M from Moana. Here’s how the 5-Day shook out, earning the most on Black Friday while also breaking a Black Friday record previously held by Frozen 2 ($34.2M)…
- Wednesday – $57.5M
- Thusday – $28M
- Friday – $54.5M
- Saturday – $50.5M
- Sunday – $30.5M
We’re going to have to go to bullet points for the rest of the records this animated sequel broke…
- Biggest preview posting for a Disney animated title
- Biggest 5-day opening, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6M)
- Biggest Thanksgiving weekend, surpassing Frozen 2 ($125M 5-Day/$94M 3-Day)
- Biggest Thanksgiving debut, more than doubling Frozen ($94M 5-Day/$67M 3-Day)
- Nearly double Frozen 2‘s Thanksgiving Day record ($15M)
- Biggest 3-Day for a Walt Disney Animated Studios title, surpassing Frozen 2 ($130.3M)
As expected the audience leaned majority female at 65% vs 35% male, with under 12’s representing the largest piece of the pie and parent age (35-44) the second biggest…
- Under 12 – 25%
- 13-17 – 15%
- 18-24 – 12%
- 25-34 – 16%
- 35-44 – 20%
- 45-54 – 9%
- 55+ – 4%
Here’s the demographics breakdown…
- Caucasian (35%)
- Hispanic (25%)
- AA (19%)
- Asian (12%)
- 8% (NatAm/Other)
The movie is getting much less critical love than the original with 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences appear to be embracing it with an 87% audience score, “A-” CinemaScore, and PostTrak polls earning 4.5 out of 5 stars from all segments (general, parent, kid) along with 89% reporting “excellent or very good”. Right now, this box office momentum should easily propel the movie past the original’s $248.7M domestic take and $643.3M global, so the critical disappointment is merely an asterisk. In fact, the original only posted a $56.6M 3-Day, for which Moana 2 performed 2.4 times better.
Speaking of global, overseas Moana 2 took in an additional $165.3M in 50 territories excluding Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Records included the biggest all-time animated opening weekend in France, Poland, the U.A.E., Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, Serbia, and Turkey.
Top overseas markets include France ($18.8M), UK ($15.5M), Mexico ($11.1M), Germany ($10.5M), Italy ($9.3M), South Korea ($9.1M), Australia ($8.3M), Brazil ($7.5M), China ($6.5M), and Spain ($5.5M).
2. Wicked
Universal Pictures | Week 2
$80M 3-Day Weekend
$117.5M 5-Day Weekend
$262.42M Domestic Cume | $359.27M Global Cume
Universal’s musical phenomenon Wicked held particularly strong, earning $80M over the 3-Day (only a -29% drop from last week) from 3,888 screens for a $20,576 PSA, exactly in line with our high-end expectations. It then surpassed forecasts for a 5-Day earning of $117.5M, bringing the domestic cume to $262.42M
Here’s how the 5-Day looked…
- Wednesday – $20.48M
- Thursday – $17.02M
- Friday – $32M
- Saturday – $29.45M
- Sunday – $18.55M
Overseas Wicked continued singing along with $29M in its first 61 markets for a $96.8M cume. That result is in line with Wonka, Mamma Mia 2, and The Little Mermaid and represents only a -39% drop from these territories last frame.
The top 3 territories are the UK & Ireland ($35.9M), Australia ($12.9M), South Korea ($8.5M), Mexico ($6.7M), Philippines ($3.5M), and Spain ($3.2M). The real prize could be the China bow on December 6, along with expansions to France on December 4 and Germany on December 12.
3. Gladiator II
Paramount Pictures | Week 2
$30.7M 3-Day Weekend
$44M 5-Day Weekend
$111.2M Domestic Cume | $320M Global Cume
Paramount’s Gladiator II also held to our expectations with $30.7M over the 3-Day (-44% drop) on 3,580 screens for an $8,575 PSA, as well as $44M over the 5-Day for a current $111.2M domestic cume, putting it ahead of the 2000 original at this point in time ($73.6M). PostTrak audience polls also went up slightly from 4/5 stars last frame to 4½ stars this week.
Here’s how the 5-Day looked…
- Wednesday – $6.6M
- Thursday – $6.7M
- Friday – $12.4M
- Saturday – $11.7M
- Sunday – $6.6M
The real win for Gladiator II continues to come from abroad where it’s 3rd international weekend generated $27.2M across 64 markets for an overseas cume of $208.8M. The global cume now stands at $320M, putting it closer to capturing the first movie’s $451.6M worldwide gross. Top 3 markets are the UK ($29.7M), France ($22.5M), and Spain ($15M).
Other Notable Performances
A24’s NY/LA launch of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer on 7 screens this weekend yielded one of the best limited openings of the year, grossing $295,518K over the 5-Day for a PSA of $42,217. The William S. Burroughs adaptation starring Daniel Craig will receive a limited expansion next weekend before going nationwide on December 13.
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates
Weekend 48 – 2024
Total 3-Day Domestic Estimates: $271,072,184M | (+57.3% vs Thanksgiving 2023)
| Title | Weekend Estimate | % Change | Locations | Location Change | PSA | Domestic Total | Week | Distributor |
| Moana 2 | $135,500,000 | 4,200 | $32,262 | $221,000,000 | 1 | Disney | ||
| Wicked | $80,000,000 | -29% | 3,888 | $20,576 | $262,426,000 | 2 | Universal | |
| Gladiator II | $30,700,000 | -44% | 3,580 | 7 | $8,575 | $111,208,000 | 2 | Paramount |
| Red One | $12,896,000 | -2% | 3,344 | -600 | $3,856 | $76,056,000 | 3 | Amazon MGM |
| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | $3,275,000 | -4% | 1,779 | -500 | $1,841 | $32,000,049 | 4 | Lionsgate |
| Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. | $2,403,859 | -52% | 1,800 | -100 | $1,335 | $9,747,689 | 2 | Angel Studios |
| Venom: The Last Dance | $2,200,000 | -43% | 1,716 | -842 | $1,282 | $137,863,000 | 6 | Sony |
| Heretic | $956,797 | -57% | 660 | -962 | $1,450 | $26,820,699 | 4 | A24 |
| The Wild Robot | $670,000 | -68% | 883 | -1,227 | $759 | $142,495,000 | 10 | Universal |
| A Real Pain | $665,000 | -39% | 505 | -680 | $1,317 | $6,121,193 | 5 | Searchlight |
| Conclave | $580,000 | -49% | 423 | -590 | $1,371 | $30,101,000 | 6 | Focus Features |
| Smile 2 | $438,000 | -61% | 390 | -562 | $1,123 | $68,746,000 | 7 | Paramount |
| Anora | $360,000 | -47% | 230 | -270 | $1,565 | $12,722,471 | 7 | Neon |
| Queer | $188,808 | 7 | $26,973 | $295,518 | 1 | A24 | ||
| All We Imagine as Light | $65,600 | 4% | 26 | 7 | $2,523 | $237,963 | 3 | Janus Films |
| We Live in Time | $39,729 | -75% | 72 | -191 | $552 | $24,625,360 | 8 | A24 |
| The Seed of the Sacred Fig | $33,000 | 3 | $11,000 | $50,000 | 1 | Neon | ||
| Flow | $28,900 | -43% | 2 | $14,450 | $98,887 | 2 | Janus Films | |
| Small Things Like These | $28,550 | -52% | 42 | -28 | $680 | $1,454,702 | 4 | Roadside Attractions |
| Here | $23,000 | -72% | 83 | -267 | $277 | $12,212,000 | 5 | Sony |
| Heavier Trip | $10,000 | 15 | $667 | $10,000 | 1 | Music Box Films | ||
| Porcelain War | $9,941 | -12% | 3 | 2.00 | $3,314 | $24,620 | 2 | Picturehouse Films |
Share this post