With no major blockbusters banking on holiday foot traffic, it looks like Disney’s Encanto has topped the Thanksgiving box office, with projections for the weekend standing correct as the Walt Disney Animation features pulls in $40.3 million over the five-day holiday weekend. While that number is not nearly as high as Disney’s last Thanksgiving release, Frozen II, which pulled in $123.7 million in 2019, the family-friendly film still managed to take the top spot over Ghostbusters: Afterlife, now in its second weekend in theaters.
The Jason Reitman-directed sequel didn’t slip too badly, however, earning only $5 million less than Encanto with a $35.3 million five-day weekend. One of three family-oriented films at the weekend box office, the largely successful sequel to the classic 80s franchise proves that families are what is bringing theatrical runs back, bringing its overall total to $87.7 million and forcing both superheroes and fashion’s biggest family down the charts.
House of Gucci, an improvement from Ridley Scott’s last theatrical outing, failed to best Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and nostalgia in the form of a suped-up 1959 Cadillac, despite being the best opening weekend for a drama in two years. The Lady Gaga-led true crime story pulled in $21.8 million over the five day weekend, with its three-day, $14.2 million weekend falling just short of Little Women’s $16.7 million opening in 2019. While the film performed significantly better than Scott’s The Last Duel, as well as other awards hopefuls King Richard and Licorice Pizza, it only finds itself in the middle of the charts, perhaps on Gaga’s star power alone.
Eternals continues to maintain a spot in the top five, with its overpowered Marvel heroes landing at number four over the holiday weekend. The Chloe Zhao-directed film, now in its fourth weekend in theaters, raked in $11.4 million over the five day holiday weekend, officially passing $150 million at the domestic box office. That result pushes Resident Evil: Raccoon City down to number five, just clinging to the bottom of the top five with an $8.8 million holiday weekend — though still significant for a film that cost only $25 million to make.
With no significant releases now until December 10, when Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story hits theaters, these films may continue to float at the top of the box office, but only time will tell — especially considering the impending release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel’s most anticipated release of the year.