FRIDAY UPDATE: It looks like Netflix has a bonafide theatrical hit on their hands with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Deadline has revised the box office numbers upwards, with the film aiming for a $13.8 million five day holiday weekend. While that doesn’t sound like much, the movie is only open on 638 screens. The per screen average will likely be the highest in the top 10. Meanwhile, Disney’s Strange World is cratering, with a $20-23 million five day weekend in the cards. Not a great start for the well-liked Disney film. Could it be that the quick release of animated movies to Disney Plus is encouraging audiences to just hold out for the imminent streaming debut? However, expect plenty of holiday cheer at the house of mouse, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever still on track for a $55-60 million five day weekend – a terrific result that’s helping the film inch closer to the $400 million mark.
ORIGINAL POST: Numbers have begun trickling in for the Thanksgiving weekend, while some have something to be thankful for (hello Glass Onion) others are unfortunately not living up to their expectations (sorry Strange World).
Let’s start with the good news, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is seeing slightly better numbers than anticipated with $10 million on Wednesday for an expected weekend take of $43 million with the 5-day take between $55 and $60 million. Pretty much what was expected form the third week of this blockbuster sequel.
Disney used to be the king of the hit animated film, unfortunately they are also the kings of massive animated (and live action) bombs! Sadly that is the case for their Strange World which is looking at just under $16 million for the weekend with around $20 million for the 5-day take. As I said in my prediction, the marketing for this one just did nothing for me and I could totally see it becoming a big ole bomb (granted in that same sentence I also said it could be a big hit, but that’s not important right now!) With a reported $135 million production budget, this one is going to be a sizable ding in Disney’s ledger.
The unprecedented release of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in 638 theaters is proving to be a wildly successful one as Wednesday numbers had the Netflix title at just above $2 million with a weekend projection of $8.5 and a 5-day between $10 and $13 million. That is pretty solid business for a movie from a studio that has traditionally bucked the theatrical model and has never reported box office numbers. Perhaps Ted Sarandos can see just how lucrative becoming a Theatrical Studio is in the long run (and if that happens, maybe they can also see how lucrative releasing some of these original titles onto physical media with extra features would be for people like me that still have massive libraries!) Check out or review for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery here.
The remainder of this weekend’s newer titles include Devotion pulling in $1.8 million on Wednesday for a projected 5-day take just over $10 million while Steven Spielberg’s Oscar hopeful The Fabelmans looks to be his second box office miss in a row (after last years West Side Story) as it looks to a 5-day take of just $3 million. You can read our Fabelmans review here.
Did you make it out to theaters yet this holiday weekend? Or are you saving that for the weekend? Let su know in the comments!