- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (review)- $44M
While it’s not an opening to rival its predecessors, the prequel film to one of the biggest franchises of the last 20 years still pulled ahead and a very full pre-holiday weekend. Still, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes continues a trend of disappointing legacy titles as it’s $44M opening is less then half of what the last film in the franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 made back in 2015 with it’s $102m opening weekend pull.
2. Trolls Band Together (review)- $30.6M
All things considered, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes should really count its blessings. My money this weekend was on Trolls Band Together pulling the upset. Easily one of, if not THE, most popular animated franchise of the last 5 years the Justin Timberlake/Anna Kendrick led music-packed adventure was almost a sure thing given the proximity to the holiday and the number of kids who are getting cabin fever from being in school for three months straight.
3. The Marvels– $10.2M/$65M
Yowzers, the hits keep coming for the once impenetrable MCU. Not only did their latest film, The Marvels not have a $100M opening weekend but its second weekend saw a 77.9% drop in box office (the highest for any Marvel film). It’s going to take a Thanksgiving miracle for this super trio to cross the $100M during its full run, something that would have been unheard of even 3 years ago.
4. Thanksgiving (review)- $10.2M
Box office numbers are relative, really. The other new releases this weekend were higher on the list but more of a disappointment in numbers. Eli Roth’s latest, Thanksgiving, the full length version of a film we were teased way back in 2005 during his and Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to the grunge cinema of the 70s, Grindhouse. 10 million for a film referenced almost 20 years ago with a very specific niche is pretty damn astounding if you ask me. That’s without mentioning that, of all the films on this weeks list, this one has the best chance to increase revenue next week with both the great word of mouth and the actual holiday of it’s namesake happening.
5. Five Night’s at Freddy’s- $3.5M/$132.6
6. The Holdovers– $2.7M/$8.3M
7. Next Goal Wins (review)- $2.5M
8. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour– $2.4M/$175M
If Tay Tay’s latest miracle doesn’t usher in a revival of the concert film, I don’t know what will. $175M for a product you’ve already sold to live audiences? No brainer.
9. Priscilla– $2.3M/$16.9M
10. Killers of the Flower Moon – $1.9M/$63.5M