‘Catching Fire’ Breaks Thanksgiving B.O. Record With $14.9 Mil; ‘Frozen’ Also Setting Record
Beating “Toy Story 2′s” previous Thanksgiving Day record, Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” lured auds away from turkey and shopping with $14.9 million in North American on Thursday.
The domestic five-day weekend for “Catching Fire” could top out at close to $100 million, though current estimates are $90 million-plus.
Meanwhile, Disney’s animated “Frozen” is breaking records of its own, with an $11.1 million Thanksgiving Day feast. It’s also likely to break the Thanksgiving weekend opening record with approximately $90 million for five days. (The one week preview at Hollywood’s El Capitan doesn’t count as a true opening.) “Frozen” is currently at $26.6 million and is enjoying excellent word of mouth.
After opening in 16 new markets this week, worldwide gross for the behemoth “Hunger Games” sequel is now $423 million through Thursday, with a domestic cume of $222 million.
Millennium/Open Road actioner “Homefront,” written by Sylvester Stallone and starring Jason Statham, James Franco and Winona Ryder is looking at an estimated $9 million, providing a more macho alternative to toons and fantasy fare.
Fox Searchlight’s “Black Nativity” doesn’t seem to be singing yet, with a projected $3.5 million weekend. The busy family and shopping weekend may not have been the best time to open the film with a target audience of African-American women. Spike Lee’s “Oldboy” from FilmDistrict is sputtering out with an estimated $2.1 million, albeit in fewer than 600 locations.
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Why Disney's Marketing Campaign Doesn't Do 'Frozen' Justice
Thanksgiving Box Office: 'Catching Fire,' 'Frozen' Serve Up Holiday Records
Film Reviews: Opening This Week (Nov. 25-29, 2013)
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