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Pixar’s “Coco” has dominated the Thanksgiving domestic box office this weekend closing the weekend with an estimated $71.2 million over the 5 day weekend. This number easily eclipsed ‘Justice League’ which many were hoping would see an increase during the extended weekend.
1. “Coco,” $49 million ($30.7 million international).
2. “Justice League,” $40.7 million ($72.2 million international).
3. “Wonder,” $22.3 million.
4. “Thor: Ragnarok,” $16.8 million.
5. “Daddy’s Home 2,” $13.3 million.
6. “Murder on the Orient Express,” $13 million.
7. “The Star,” $6.9 million.
8. “Bad Moms Christmas,” $5 million.
9. “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” $4.5 million.
10. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” $4.4 million.
“Coco” went into the weekend with high reviews and a stellar Rotten Tomatoes score. From Friday to Sunday the studio is estimating a $49 million gain. Coco, as you may have read, is centered on the Mexican holiday of Dia de Los Muertos or Day of The Dead as most Americans may know it as. This is great news for Disney who also took 4th place in the weekend box office with ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ bringing in 16.8 million.
This news, however, is disappointing for Warner Bro’s who’s movie ‘Justice League’ slid to second with $40.7 million and in the five day holiday period earned $60 million. However, Justice League is performing better overseas where it made more than $300 million. Though many still see the poor domestic performance of Justice League as problematic since films like these take millions more to produce. As much as we can all laugh that $40 million is a lot of money to most people to a studio that reportedly spends $600 million it’s a disappointment.
The two top spots tell a tale we all know too well that quality is trumping mediocrity at the box office and Rotten Tomato ratings have more weight than even DC fandoms can withstand.
“In a world where moviegoing and quality seem to be connected, having a brand that has as consistently as Pixar has delivered on very high expectations makes our work a little easier,” said Dave Hollis, distribution chief for the Walt Disney Co., which owns Pixar. “Consumers have really come to expect high quality. This is once again Pixar doing what they do best.”
Of course, the success of “Coco” comes just days after allegations of sexual misconduct were reported against Pixar co-founder and Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, who last Tuesday announced he’d be taking a “six-month sabbatical.” He admitted there were “missteps” and “unwanted hugs” with employees so the leave isn’t exactly a surprise and Disney as you’d guess is more than supportive of the decision.
Of course, ‘Coco’ not only had to deal with the issue of John Lasseter it also had to overcome some early blunders around them trying to trademark “Dia de Los Muertos” which sparked more than a little backlash. Add that to the 20 minute ‘Frozen’ short before the movie, which caused a lot of parental headaches ‘Coco’ still managed to perform, but on a weekend about families for a movie about family to not perform would probably be shocking.
“Coco” is one of Pixar’s first films to market to the Hispanic audience. Even in our review, you will note there were jokes in the movie that only Mexican’s or Spanish speakers would understand. Hispanics made up 23 percent of frequent moviegoers last year, and Disney didn’t share ethnic demographics for “Coco” ticket buyers but said signs pointed to a high turnout among Latinos.
Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for comScore, called the film’s result a positive story in “a week that was pretty challenging for Pixar.”
“The future may lie in content like this, where you’re telling stories about real human beings and about diversity,” said Dergarabedian. “The Hispanic audience is key to the success of any given box office year, given the frequency and passion for moviegoing.”
Though, the most profitable movie at the box office might be the Lionsgate film “Wonder” starring Jacob Tremblay and Julia Roberts. The production on “Wonder” cost only $20 million, and it’s already made $69.4 million. That’s a massive win for a smaller movie because in Hollywood profit matters even more so than ethics at times.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
