Thanksgiving Weekend Box Record Set Thanks To Holdover Movies
The weekend box office in the United States took in $290 million this year, besting 2009’s record which previously sat at $270.5 million.
The box office was buoyed by holdovers from the week prior including first place finisher The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2, which grabbed an additional $43.1 million.
In second place was Skyfall, which snagged $36 million, followed by Lincoln, which pulled down $34.1 million.
Struggling to gain its footing was the DreamWorks Animation film Rise of the Guardians. DreamWorks could see its movie gain momentum coming into the holiday season. Guardians is a movie about the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and other childhood figures who battle to save the holidays from an evil enemy. Despite its weak opening, the DreamWorks Animation film still took in $32.6 million.
Doing surprisingly well was the movie Life of Pi, which raked in $22 million in the United States. Pi it should be noted also took in $17.5 million overseas thanks to strong word of mouth. Since its debut, Pi has received an A- CinemaScore. The PG rated film did especially well with younger crowds, drawing in 40 percent of its traffic from views 25 and younger. Males also flocked to Pi, purchasing 52 percent of all tickets sold.
Finishing surprisingly well over the weekend was Disney Animation Studios’ Wreck-It Ralph, which claimed the No. 6 spot with $16.8 million for five-day gross of $23 million. The Disney cartoon has not taken in $149.5 million.
On a more artistic note, Fox Searchlight’s Hitchcock opened in 17 theaters on Friday and took in $300,799. Hitchcock stars Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren.
