Moana 2‘s “Hauʻoli lākou” aka good luck continues this weekend as it eyes a $60M second frame.
For the post-Thanksgiving first weekend of December, that’s an absolute mind-blowing record for a No. 1-ranking title, whether holdover or new release. The previous high for this frame was in 2019, when the third weekend of Frozen 2 cleared first place with a third-weekend $35.1M take, -59%. Understand, this coming weekend is traditionally a dead zone as audiences, particularly women, get distracted by holiday activities.
Moana 2‘s second weekend is looking to be around -57%; the first 2016 film eased by 50% in the post-Thanksgiving period with a $28.2M second weekend.
Given the prospects for bad business during the post-Thanksgiving weekend, studios sidestep any tentpole openings; the last notable debut was in 2003, when Warner Bros’ Tom Cruise epic The Last Samurai posted $24.2M. Last year at this time there was AMC Theatres’ Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which opened to a notable $21.8M before the concert documentary title crashed bu 75% in Weekend 2.
But there’s more depth to this coming weekend, on a path to outgross the previous recordholder for the first weekend of December, which was 2018 with close to $120M. Universal’s third weekend of Wicked is looking to be around $32M, -60%, while Paramount’s third weekend of Gladiator II is eyeing about $15.5M, -50%. Moana 2 made $8M on Tuesday, bringing its seven-day running total to $239.3M. Wicked made $7M for a running total of $275.8M, while Gladiator II did $2.9M for a running domestic tally of $116.5M.
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Among new wide entries is Prathyangira Cinemas’ Pushpa 2 – The Rule, booked at 1,245 theaters. We hear there are strong advance ticket sales as previews start tonight, with an opening well north of Prathyangira’s previous June release, the Dune-like sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 A.D., which had a $5.7M start. It won’t be shocking if Pushpa 2 sees a $10M 3-day. It’s a sequel to Pushpa – The Rise, which opened to $1.3M back on December 17, 2021. Directed and co-written by Sukumar, Pushpa 2 follows a turbulent and fierce battle between mafia kingpin Pushpa Raj and Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, a ruthless and psychotic police officer. Watch the trailer below:
SXSW
There’s also A24’s Kyle Mooney-directed R-rated party horror-comedy Y2K, starring Rachel Zegler, at 2,100 theaters with a forecast of $3M-$5M. The movie made its world premiere at SXSW and counts 59% critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. If there’s one type of wide release that studios have attempted in the post-Thanksgiving frame, it’s genre. Y2K follows two high school nobodies who make the decision to crash the last major celebration before the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. The night becomes even crazier than they could have ever dreamed when the clock strikes midnight. A24 financed and sold a bulk of foreign to Universal, which has everywhere but Japan, China, Russia and Canada. Previews start at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Briarcliff Entertainment’s Frank Grillo horror movie Werewolves is booked at 1,351 theaters with a projection in the low single digits. The Steven C. Miller-directed pic follows two scientists who try to stop a mutation that turns people into werewolves after being touched by a supermoon the year before.