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 "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" led a crowded field
of contenders, topping charts with $75.8 million and bringing
its domestic total to $198.3 million. It marks the final film in
the hugely popular series, although Lionsgate, the studio behind
the franchise, has hinted it wants to figure out ways to create
future spin-offs.
The previous two "Hunger Games" films have both debuted the week
before Thanksgiving and gone on to rule multiplexes over the
holiday. Its dominance is practically a holiday tradition.
If "Mockingjay - Part 2's" strong returns was a familiar
Thanksgiving sight, the big surprise was how well "Creed"
performed. The film successfully brought back Sylvester
Stallone's iconic Rocky character and revived a boxing franchise
that seemed like a Reagan-era relic after racking up $42.6
million over the five-day holiday period.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and New Line co-produced and co-financed the
film, which centers on Rocky rival Apollo Creed's illegitimate
son (Michael B. Jordan) and his efforts to continue his father's
boxing legacy. Stallone plays his coach and confidant. It should
have no trouble making back the $37 million that the studios
spent putting the "Italian Stallion" back in the ring.
Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" capitalized on school holidays,
becoming the de facto choice for families. The animated film
earned $56 million over the five-day holiday. That's a solid
result and the fourth highest five-day Thanksgiving opening, but
it is somewhat disappointing given Pixar's track record as the
most successful provider of all-ages entertainment. It ranks as
the third lowest debut in company history. Pixar didn't provide
a budget number, but judging from the cost of its previous
films, this one likely carries a $200 million price tag.
"The Good Dinosaur" had a troubled production history. The
film's debut was pushed back by two years and its original
director Bob Peterson was pulled from the project over creative
disagreements. He was replaced by Peter Sohn and the film
underwent a massive overhaul.
The holiday period had some casualties. Fox's "Victor
Frankenstein" was dead on the slab after earning a torpid $3.4
million from 2,797 theaters over its first five days. The
attempt to revive Mary Shelley's monster story cost $40 million
to produce and starred James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe. It
stands as one of the year's biggest flops.
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In the holdover realm, "Spectre" took in $18.2 million, driving its
domestic earnings to $176.1 million. The film has now grossed more
than two of Daniel Craig's previous James Bond outings "Casino
Royale" ($167.4 million) and "Quantum of Solace" ($168.4 million),
but seems unlikely to match the high-water mark set by "Skyfall"
($304.4 million).
"The Peanuts Movie" wasn't completely overshadowed by "The Good
Dinosaur." The adaptation of the Charles Schulz comic strip picked
up $13.6 million, pushing its total to $116.6 million.
Among art house releases, Focus Features premiered "The Danish
Girl," a drama about a transgender artist who undergoes one of the
first sex change operations, in four theaters in New York and Los
Angeles. It grossed an estimated $185,000, for a solid per-theater
average of $46,250.
The Weinstein Company appears to be scoring with "Carol." The
romance about two lesbians pushing against conformity in the 1950s
made $203,000 from four theaters over five days. After two weeks,
the film has generated $588,000.
Open Road's "Spotlight," the widely acclaimed drama about the Boston
Globe's investigation of pedophile priests, continued to perform
well in its expansion. The Oscar contender added $5.7 million to its
$12 million haul after moving from 600 to 897 locations.
Fox Searchlight's "Brooklyn" also used the holiday period to broaden
its footprint. The story of an Irish immigrant making her way in
1950s New York took in $4.8 million after increasing from 598 to 897
locations. It has made $7.3 million in its first three weeks.
Final results are still trickling in, but it appears that the
holiday will outpace last year's ticket sales by more than 10%. The
uptick follows several weekends of disappointing returns as flops
like "The Last Witch Hunter," "The 33" and "Steve Jobs" pulled down
box office results. Most analysts expect that despite the fall
lassitude, the domestic box office will cross $11 billion for the
first time in history.
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