With the first-day gross of $7.5 million, Walt Disney Animation adventure Encanto kicked off the Thanksgiving box office parade.
The family film and MGM and United Artists’ adult-drama House of Gucci and Sony’s action-horror reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City debuted in theatres nationwide on Wednesday, ahead of Thanksgiving.
Moviegoing hasn’t yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, but Encanto and Gucci, as well as Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which debuted last weekend, are expected to do well over the long Thanksgiving weekend. This is encouraging news for two genres that have been notably hampered by COVID 19: family titles and adult dramas.
The five-day Thanksgiving holiday period is traditionally one of the most profitable times at the box office.
At this point, projections are complex, but some believe Encanto could gross $40 million in its five-day debut, which would be the highest showing for a family title in the COVID-19 era. It is the first major animated studio title to be given an exclusive theatrical window since the pandemic began in spring 2020, and it debuts as younger children are permitted to be vaccinated.
With original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto tells the story of a Colombian adolescent who must save her extended family’s magic despite having no exceptional talent of her own. The film was directed by Charise Castro Smith, Jared Bush, and Byron Howard.
House of Gucci, produced by MGM and United Artists, stars Lady Gaga as the wife of fashion scion Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver. Ridley Scott directs this tale of murderous vengeance, which also stars Al Pacino and Jared Leto.
Gucci finished third with $4.2 million on Wednesday and has a good chance of making a promising $20 million-plus for the five days.
