With plans for sequels and prequels to ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Wicked,’ and ‘Gladiator II’ among the films the five-day holiday corridor domestic revenue for the films is on track to reach new heights, passing $300 million.
While Ridley Scott and his A-list Gladiator II stars — Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Connie Nielsen — strode up the red carpet on November 18, during the Los Angeles premiere, a mock barricade blocked their view of an extremely large Christmas tree at the entrance of Ovation Hollywood mall next to the TCL Chinese Theatre.
remiere, a makeshift wall prevented them from seeing an enormous Christmas tree perched at the entrance of the Ovation Hollywood mall adjacent to the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Take it as a Christmas that has come early this year for all Hollywood as November tent poles Gladiator II, the musical Wicked and the animated giant Moana 2 came on time for Turkey Day. “It will be the first time that movie theaters have something for everybody this Thanksgiving,” says one top studio executive. Thus, great choices make the business active:
As the three movies would testify, this Thanksgiving weekend in terms of total sales figure would go down in history as one of the unique events of the post pandemic period. The rise will assist to lessen a concerning YoY hole in home theatrical income as a result of product scarce attributable to the protracted 2023 workers’ strikes and continued COVID headwinds.
Thanks to Thanksgiving 2018, the five-day Wednesday through Sunday sales has set a record, noted Comscore as the highest in terms of ticket sales., Revenue was $315.6m over the five days and while it reached $42.3m on The Crimes of Grindelwald, it was the only time it’s crossed $300m using data from Comscore.00 million.
As Ridley Scott and his high-profile Gladiator II cast — including Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Connie Nielsen — walked the red carpet during the Nov. 18 Los Angeles premiere, a makeshift wall prevented them from seeing an enormous Christmas tree perched at the entrance of the Ovation Hollywood mall adjacent to the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Consider it a symbol of Christmas coming early this year for all of Hollywood as November tentpoles Gladiator II, the musical Wicked and the animated juggernaut Moana 2 hit the big screen timed to Turkey Day. “For the first time in a long time, there will be something for everyone at movie theaters this Thanksgiving,” notes one top studio executive. “When there are great choices, the business hums.”
By all accounts, the three films are expected to fuel the biggest Thanksgiving weekend in history in terms of overall revenue, a rare bright spot in the post-pandemic era. The boost will help narrow a worrisome year-over-year gap in domestic box office earnings due to a lack of product resulting from the lengthy 2023 labor strikes and ongoing COVID-related delays.
Thanksgiving 2018 holds the record for generating the most revenue in terms of overall ticket sales for the five-day holiday corridor, which runs from the Wednesday before the holiday through Sunday, according to Comscore.
That year, led by Ralph Breaks the Internet ($84.7 million), Creed II ($56 million) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald ($42.3 million), revenue reached $315.6 million over the five days, the only time it’s cracked $300 million, according to Comscore.
Walt Disney Animation’s music-driven Moana 2 arrives Wednesday, and early projections suggest it will debut in the $125M-$150M range for the five-day haul; some have even referred to it as ‘Moana Apocalypse.’”
If tracking is accurate, Moana 2 will open domestically as the fifth biggest Thanksgiving five-day gross of all time and the biggest unadjusted Thanksgiving five-day total of all time. Frozen 2 (2019) that started the weekend before the holiday ‘not mid week’ is next with 125m ticket sales.
The first Moana was released at $82.1 million over the five days of Thanksgiving in 2016 and become a favorite total that turned into a cult favorite to the extent that it became the most often streamed in 2023, Nielsen reported.
The target market is men of age forty and younger but, looking at tracking data with The Hollywood Reporter, women are also showing an interest in Gladiator II. And Wicked is very much overstuffed female, however the polling indicates that boyfriends could emerge. And both could get parents and their older and adult children. Here Moana 2 is obviously the largest family feature but there could also be teenagers and young adults as well.
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