‘Coco’s Otherworldly Mexico Run Lands Pixar Toon As Market’s #1 Movie Ever
As of this past Sunday, Disney/Pixar’s Coco was already the highest-grossing animated movie ever in Mexico. Today, it’s adding the title of the No. 1 film of all time there on a local currency basis. Through yesterday, its first 19 days of release drew 824M pesos ($43.1M). With today’s numbers folded in, it will pass 827M pesos and knock stablemate Marvel’s The Avengers from its top-ranked perch.
The performance of Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, has been nothing short of wild in Mexico where the movie debuted on October 27. It has held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive weeks. Word of mouth on the critically-praised film has fed the momentum — it increased in its sophomore session by 12% and then saw only a slight drop this past frame.
Disney smartly got this film out in the market ahead of other territories (it bows domestically on November 22) and took advantage of the Dia de los Muertos holiday period after opening the Morelia Film Festival.
The story follows Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who has musical dreams inspired by his idol, the late great Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Following a mysterious and otherworldly chain of events, Miguel meets charming trickster Héctor (Gael García Bernal — voicing himself in the Spanish and English versions). Together, they set off on an adventure of music and mystery, resulting in the most unusual family reunion.
The Mexico premiere was held on October 24 at the Bellas Artes Palace to benefit the Center for Music Training and Development of the Mixe Culture in Oaxaca. It featured live performances of the National Symphony Orchestra and Carlos Rivera whose “Remember Me” is on the soundtrack, as are additional ‘inspired by’ songs by local artists Karol Sevilla, Jorge Blanco, Bronco and La Santa Cecilia.
Coco starts rolling out in more international markets with the U.S. release. China is dated November 23, followed by Russia on November 24. Richly-animated and with positive themes, it will continue to resonate once rollout gets going wider. It’s also got the short Olaf’s Frozen Adventure playing alongside.
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