Thanks to an optimistic rabbit and a wily red fox — and don’t forget about the Witches of Oz — the Thanksgiving box office was a needed win for Hollywood and theater owners.
Disney’s critical and audience darling Zootopia 2 led the parade with a record-smashing, five-day Thanksgiving opening of $156 million in North America and $556 million globally to boast the biggest worldwide start of all time for an animated film and among the fourth biggest of any film. Overseas, it soared to an astonishing $400 million — thanks in large part to China, where it secured the top animated opening of all time with $272 million and the biggest launch for any Hollywood movie since May 2021. It’s safe to assume that Walt Disney Animation Studios has another billion-dollar hit on its hands, considering the first Zootopia opened to just $75 million on its way to topping $1.025 billion globally, not adjusted for inflation.
Fellow Thanksgiving tentpole Wicked: For Good, which opened a week ago, cooked up an estimated $93 million for the five days, putting its 10-day domestic cume at $270.4 million as it approaches the $400 million mark globally in another key milestone.
Zootopia 2 has been doing eye-popping business since launching across North America on Wednesday. It topped Black Friday with $38.5 million, the second-highest gross ever for the day, behind last year’s Moana 2 ($54.5 million). That’s after ruling Thanksgiving Day with a near-record $19.7 million, the second-best showing of all time, also after Moana 2 ($27.8 million). It posted an opening day of gross $39.5 million on Wednesday, which is all putting the sequel on track to open to a better-than-expected five-day holiday opening of topping $158 million, which would likewise be the second-best showing after Moana 2. Finally, there is something for families to see at the multiplex after a long dry spell for such fare.
Zootopia 2 boasts glowing reviews and stellar exits, including an A CinemaScore and a 95 percent audience ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The best buddy cop movie in eons has arrived in the form of Zootopia 2. This sequel to 2016’s smash hit Oscar-winning animated film proves more than worth the lengthy wait, knocking it out of the park with its dazzling visuals, sophisticated humor and doses of genuine emotion,” writes THR‘s Frank Scheck in his review.
The film reunites optimistic young rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and sly red fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), who are newly partnered on the police force overseen by the intimidating cape buffalo Chief Bogo (Idris Elba). Despite their previous success, things aren’t going smoothly for the pair, who are instructed to track down an interloping snake (Ke Huy Quan voices the new character).
Elsewhere, Wicked: For Good crossed the $200 million mark in North America on Thanksgiving Day after opening Nov. 21. Director Jon M. Chu’s second installment in the ambitious adaptation of the hit Broadway musical and book is likewise one of the top holiday earners of all time.
The movie about the Witches of Oz — played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — smashed numerous records in its global box office debut last weekend, including passing up the first Wicked to rank as the top opening of all time for a Broadway musical adaptation and one of the best showings among any musical.
Overseas, it earned another $29.4 million for a foreign tally of $122.8 and a worldwide total of $393.3 million, according to Sunday estimates.
Wicked: For Good is pacing on par with Wicked.
At the specialty box office, Chloé Zhao’s Oscar contender Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel about William Shakespeare, opened to a promising $1.4 million from 119 theaters in 28 markets, putting its five-day location average at $11,345.
Hament — starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal — made headlines at the fall film festivals, sweeping audience awards from Toronto to BFI London, among other fests. Focus Features picked up rights to the film from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin and Sam Mendes’ London production company. It will make a major expansion next weekend, expanding nationwide.
More to come.
