#1 = Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
The AMC Theatres Distribution + Variance Films concert documentary can pay the “bills, bills, bills” with a $21.0M debut.
Renaissance earns first place despite playing in 2,539 theaters, only the #5 widest release this frame.
However, Renaissance does start below several other concert documentaries:
- -9% below 2009’s posthumous Michael Jackson concert documentary This Is It = $23.2M
- -28% below 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never = $29.5M
- -32% below 2008’s Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert = $31.1M
(Nobody expected Renaissance to open anywhere near October’s record-shattering Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour which debuted with $92.8M.)
Renaissance also earns the best immediate post-Thanksgiving debut since 2003’s The Last Samurai with $24.2M.
The top immediate post-Thanksgiving weekend overall remains 2019’s holdover Frozen II with $35.1M in its third frame.
Unsurprisingly given its newfound competition, Eras falls -76% in its eighth frame, by far its steepest drop so far.
Overseas / global
Renaissance opened to a somewhat subdued $6.4M overseas and $27.4M globally, or 23% overseas.
Major markets still to release include Brazil, Italy, and Spain.
For comparison, This Is It opened to $74.2M globally, while Eras Tour began with $123.5M globally.
#2 = The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Last frame, Lionsgate’s dystopian action prequel repeated in first place with a mere -35% sophomore weekend drop.
That was far milder than the sophomore drops for the four original Hunger Games installments, the mildest of which was 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2 = -49%.
Now in its third frame, Songbirds declines -50% to $14.5M and the runner-up slot.
Among Hunger Games films, that’s a milder third weekend drop than:
- 2013’s Catching Fire = -65%
- 2014’s Mockingjay Part 1 = -61%
- 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2 = -64%
However, it’s steeper than for 2012’s The Hunger Games = -43%.
Through 17 days, Songbirds has earned $121.2M. Through the same point in release, that’s:
- -60% below 2012’s The Hunger Games = $302.4M
- -63% below 2013’s Catching Fire = $335.8M
- -53% below 2014’s Mockingjay Part 1 = $258.1M
- -46% below 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2 = $227.3M
Songbirds is holding better than its opening weekend would have predicted versus all four films, having originally opened:
- -70% below 2012’s The Hunger Games
- -71% below 2013’s Catching Fire
- -63% below 2014’s Mockingjay Part 1
- -56% below 2015’s Mockingjay Part 2
Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence here:
#3 = Godzilla Minus One
Toho International’s Japanese-language monster movie stomps to a $11.0M debut in third place.
Comparisons are few and far between, because nobody realistically expected this to open in the same range as the several English-language Godzilla movies.
It marks the top foreign opening domestically of 2023, overtaking March’s fellow Japanese Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba — To the Swordsmith Village with $10.1M.
#4 = Trolls Band Together
Universal’s animated three-quel drops -57% in its third frame to $7.6M and fourth place.
It’s earned $74.8M through 17 days, or -35% behind 2016’s Trolls through the same point = $116.1M.
Overseas / global
Band falls -60% in overseas holdover markets, slightly steeper than its -57% domestic drop.
The top five overseas markets to date are:
- U.K.: $18.5M
- Germany: $6.6M
- Mexico: $6.3M
- Brazil: $5.5M
- Spain: $4.8M
Major markets still to release include South Korea.
It’s now earned $85.8M overseas and $160.6M globally, or 53% overseas.
The movie is looking unlikely to match 2016’s original Trolls with $343.2M globally, 55% overseas.
#5 = Wish
Last weekend, Disney’s animated musical failed to win the Thanksgiving frame or even come in the top two with a third place start.
Now in its sophomore frame, it falls a steep -62% to $7.4M and fifth place.
That’s a steeper drop than for other Disney animated musicals released on Thanksgiving week, including:
- 2016’s Moana = -50%
- 2021’s Encanto = -52%
- 2013’s Frozen = -53%
- 2010’s Tangled = -56%
Through 12 days, Wish has earned $41.9M total. That’s running far behind other Disney animated musicals released on Thanksgiving weeks past:
- -28% below 2021’s Encanto = $58.3M
- -56% below 2010’s Tangled = $96.5M
- -65% below 2016’s Moana = $119.7M
- -68% below 2013’s Frozen = $134.2M
Overseas / global
Wish falls -44% in overseas holdover markets, notably milder than its -62% domestic drop.
Wish has earned $39.6M overseas and $81.6M globally, or 48% overseas.
Wish looks unlikely to even approach the final global totals of:
- Moana: $629.6M globally, 60% overseas
- Tangled: $582.4M globally, 65% overseas
The top overseas markets for Wish include:
- U.K.: $5.5M
- China: $5.3M
- France: $4.1M
- Mexico: $3.6M
- Germany: $3.5M
Major markets still to release include Japan, Italy, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.
#6 = Napoleon
In its sophomore frame, Sony Pictures and Apple Studios’ historical drama fell a steep -65% to $7.1M. That’s steeper than:
- Director Ridley Scott’s 2021 House of Gucci = -51%
- Scott’s fellow 2021 The Last Duel = -57%
- October’s Killers of the Flower Moon, a comparable historical drama from Apple Studios = -60%
After 12 days, Napoleon has earned $45.7M total. Through the same point in release, that’s:
- +5% ahead of Killers of the Flower Moon = $43.2M
- +35% ahead of House of Gucci = $33.8M
Overseas / global
Napoleon falls -46% in overseas holdover markets, considerably milder than its -65% domestic drop.
It’s now earned $90.9M overseas and $136.6M globally, or 66% overseas.
The top five overseas markets are:
- U.K.: $11.8M
- France: $9.9M (the film takes place in France, though it’s received withering reviews there)
- Germany: $6.2M
- Spain: $6.2M
- Italy: $6.1M
Major markets still to release include South Korea.
It will aim to match the global totals of:
- Killers of the Flower Moon = $154.3M to date, 57% overseas
- House of Gucci = $147M, 63% overseas
#7 = Animal
Moksha Movies’ Indian foreign-language action drama earned the second-highest domestic Bollywood opening ever with $6.1M.
That ranks behind only January’s Pathaan = $6.8M.
#8 = The Shift
Angel Studios’ faith-based sci-fi opens with $4.35M in eighth place. Compared to other faith-based releases this year, that’s:
- Less than +1% above September’s The Blind = $4.34M
- -13% below October’s After Death = $5.0M
- -20% below March’s His Only Son = $5.5M
#9 = Silent Night
Lionsgate’s dialogue-free R-rated holiday action thriller Silent Night was nearly silent with a $3.0M debut in ninth place.
#10 = Thanksgiving
Having passed its titular holiday as a marketing tactic, Sony Pictures’ holiday-themed horror Thanksgiving carves out -62% in its third frame to $2.6M and 10th place.
It’s earned $28.3M through 17 days, or -19% below 2022’s Violent Night through the same point = $35.0M.
Sony just announced a sequel to Thanksgiving slated for 2025.
Weekend comparisons
Total box office this weekend comes in around $92.8M.
Here’s how this weekend compares to last weekend, the same weekend last year, and the same weekend in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:
|
Weekend |
Total |
This weekend is: |
Leader |
|
Last weekend |
$116.0M |
-20% |
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, second frame = $29.0M |
|
Same weekend in 2022 |
$52.6M |
+76% |
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fourth frame = $17.5M |
|
Same weekend in 2019 |
$180,855,568 |
-48% |
Frozen II, second frame = $85.9M |
YTD comparisons
Year-to-date box office stands around $8.26B.
Through the equivalent point, here’s how that compares to last year and the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:
|
Year |
YTD total |
2023 YTD now: |
After last weekend: |
Trend |
|
2022 |
$6.71B |
+23.0% |
+22.3% |
Up |
|
2019 |
$10.22B |
-19.1% |
-18.2% |
Down |
Top distributors
Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:
- Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $1.86B
- Universal + Focus Features: $1.84B
- Warner Bros.: $1.15B
- Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll + Affirm: $948.7M
- Paramount: $839.7M
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:
| Title | Estimated weekend | % change | Locations | Location change | Average | Total | Weekend | Distributor |
|
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé |
$21,000,000 | 2,539 | $8,271 | $21,000,000 | 1 | AMC Theatres Distribution + Variance | ||
| The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes | $14,500,000 | -50% | 3,776 | $3,840 | $121,243,408 | 3 | Lionsgate | |
| Godzilla Minus One | $11,031,954 | 2,308 | $4,780 | $11,031,954 | 1 | Toho International | ||
| Trolls Band Together | $7,600,000 | -57% | 3,613 | -280 | $2,104 | $74,833,000 | 3 | Universal |
| Wish | $7,412,000 | -62% | 3,900 | $1,901 | $41,955,942 | 2 | Disney | |
| Napoleon | $7,125,000 | -65% | 3,500 | $2,036 | $45,740,000 | 2 | Sony Pictures | |
| Animal | $6,140,000 | 700 | $8,771 | $6,140,000 | 1 | Moksha Movies | ||
| The Shift | $4,358,377 | 2,450 | $1,779 | $4,358,377 | 1 | Angel Studios | ||
| Silent Night | $3,000,000 | 1,870 | $1,604 | $3,000,000 | 1 | Lionsgate | ||
| Thanksgiving | $2,630,000 | -63% | 3,204 | $821 | $28,377,633 | 3 | Sony Pictures | |
| The Marvels | $2,509,000 | -60% | 3,070 | $817 | $80,735,186 | 4 | Disney | |
| Dream Scenario | $1,689,446 | 164% | 124 | $13,625 | $3,470,330 | 4 | A24 | |
| Saltburn | $1,568,244 | -16% | 1,566 | $1,001 | $6,235,130 | 3 | MGM / Amazon Studios | |
| The Holdovers | $1,150,000 | -59% | 1,311 | -290 | $877 | $15,074,000 | 6 | Focus Features [Universal] |
| Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour | $550,000 | -76% | 646 | -300 | $851 | $178,831,257 | 8 | AMC Theatres Distribution + Variance |
| Killers of the Flower Moon | $460,000 | -58% | 420 | -347 | $1,095 | $66,513,005 | 7 | Paramount |
| Five Nights at Freddy’s | $400,000 | -77% | 717 | -1,037 | $558 | $136,917,570 | 6 | Universal |
| Priscilla | $322,751 | -74% | 1,063 | $304 | $20,372,329 | 6 | A24 | |
| Radical | $271,500 | -64% | 255 | -70 | $1,065 | $8,248,859 | 5 | Pantelion Films |
| Next Goal Wins | $231,000 | -86% | 2,240 | $103 | $6,397,715 | 3 | Searchlight [Disney] | |
| Journey to Bethlehem | $190,000 | -71% | 1,384 | $137 | $6,150,057 | 4 | Sony Pictures | |
| Eileen | $90,521 | 6 | $15,087 | $90,521 | 1 | Neon | ||
| Anatomy of a Fall | $67,000 | -27% | 72 | -5 | $931 | $3,492,148 | 8 | Neon |
| Monster | $26,545 | 4% | 5 | 3 | $5,309 | $63,314 | 2 | Well Go USA |
| Oppenheimer | $20,000 | -29% | 101 | -1 | $198 | $325,391,000 | 20 | Universal |
| La Syndicaliste | $10,075 | 1 | $10,075 | $100,751 | 1 | Kino Lorber | ||
| Common Ground | $9,250 | 411% | 2 | $4,625 | $230,200 | 10 | Area 23a | |
| Farewell My Concubine | $6,009 | 187% | 2 | $3,005 | $5,538,649 | Miramax | ||
| The Disappearance of Shere Hite | $5,900 | 154% | 19 | 17 | $311 | $27,607 | 3 | IFC Films |
| Pianoforte | $5,500 | 1 | $5,500 | $5,500 | 1 | Greenwich |
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