Ralph Breaks the Internet and Creed II power record Thanksgiving box office
A destruction-prone but well-meaning arcade character and a score-settling young boxer are taking the Thanksgiving box office to new heights.
Led by the strong openings of Disney’s animated sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet and MGM’s Rocky successor Creed II, the Wednesday-Sunday North American box office total will be the biggest in the holiday’s history, coming in at an estimated $314 million. According to Comscore, this will be the first time the five-day frame has crossed the $300 million mark.
Ralph Breaks the Internet is the weekend’s high scorer, selling an estimated $55.7 million in tickets at 4,017 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday though Sunday, and an estimated $84.5 million since its Wednesday debut. The latter figure represents the second-highest Thanksgiving bow ever (not adjusted for inflation), behind Frozen’s $93.6 million. Overseas, Ralph will add about $41.5 million this weekend, for a worldwide total of $126 million. The film reportedly cost $175 million to make.
Featuring the voices of John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman, Ralph Breaks the Internet is the sequel to 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph, and follows the titular hero as he ventures into cyberspace for the first time. Critics’ reviews have been favorable, and audiences gave it an A-minus CinemaScore.
Meanwhile, Creed II is stepping into the ring with an estimated $35.3 million from Friday to Sunday, good for second place, and an estimated $55.8 million over its first five days, which is easily the top Thanksgiving start for a live-action movie. (Four Christmases previously held the title, with $46.1 million.) The film cost at least $40 million to make.
Directed by Steven Caple Jr., taking the franchise reins from Ryan Coogler, Creed II finds Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) facing off against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) the son of the man (Dolph Lundgren) who killed his father in a boxing match years ago. Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as Rocky Balboa, young Creed’s mentor, and also co-wrote the screenplay (with Juel Taylor). Reviews have been solid, and moviegoers gave it an A CinemaScore.
Not every new film is hitting its target, however. Lionsgate’s big-budget Robin Hood will earn an estimated $9.1 million at 2,827 from Friday through Sunday, and $14.2 million over the five-day frame. That’s a disappointment for a film that cost nearly $100 million to make, and lands it in seventh place for the weekend.
Starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx and directed by Otto Bathurst, Robin Hood has been panned by critics, while audiences gave it a B CinemaScore.
Rounding out this weekend’s top five are Universal’s animated Dr. Seuss adaptation The Grinch, with an estimated $30.2 million; Warner Bros’. Harry Potter spin-off/prequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, with an estimated $29.7 million; and Fox’s Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, with an estimated $13.9 million.
In limited release, Fox Searchlight’s historical drama The Favourite is bowing with an estimated $420,000 at just four theaters, which works out to a per-screen average of $105,000 — the best of 2018. Yorgos Lanthimos directed the critically acclaimed film, which is set amid the scheming court of Queen Anne during the early 1700s. Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz star.
Netflix also unveiled its awards hopeful Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, but the company is not reporting grosses.
Overall box office is up 10.2 percent year-to-date. See the Nov. 23-25 figures below.
1. Ralph Breaks the Internet — $55.7 million ($84.5 million five-day)
2. Creed II — $35.3 million ($55.8 million five-day)
3. The Grinch — $30.2 million ($42 million five-day)
4. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — $29.7 million ($42.9 million five-day)
5. Bohemian Rhapsody — $13.9 million ($19.2 million five-day)
6. Instant Family — $12.5 million ($17.4 million five-day)
7. Robin Hood — $9.1 million ($14.2 million five-day)
8. Widows — $8 million ($10.6 million five-day)
9. Green Book — $5.4 million ($7.4 million five-day)
10. A Star Is Born — $3 million ($4.1 million five-day)