THURSDAY AM: Disney’s Zootopia 2 caged up $39.5M yesterday including previews, just as we told you, with the sequel still on course for an $88M-$90M 3-day, $140M 5-day. No surprise, part two has an A CinemaScore just like the first one with a Rotten Tomatoes audience score that’s slightly higher than the first, 95% to 92%. By the way that’s the second best Wednesday before Thanksgiving after last year’s Moana 2 had a first day/Tuesday previews of $57.9M.
Among all Disney Animation titles, Zootopia 2‘s Wednesday/previews ranks as the third best for the label after Moana 2 and Frozen 2 ($42.2M).
Audience diagnostics day one for Zootopia 2 is a very good 65% definite recommend, 87% positive with adults and 80% positive with kids under 12 (The first movie in 2016 was enormous with 90% positive and 87% definite recommend for general audience, and kids under 12 with a 91% positive). Zootopia 2 skewed 52% women yesterday with the 18-24 demo seeing the biggest turnout at close to a third and 18-34 at 56%. Latino and Hispanic moviegoers led yesterday with 37%, followed by 25% Caucasian, 20% Black, and 13% Asian American, and 5% Native American/other.
Yesterday’s money came from 21% PLF and Imax screens (4% Imax, 17% from a non-IMAX PLF and 12% coming from 3D screens). Zootopia is playing throughout North America, but best in South Central and West (the East is the softest, we hear). Disney’s El Capitan in Hollywood was the leading single-location gross at $128K on Wednesday.
Universal’s Wicked: For Good posted the $17M we were seeing, and is eyeing $61M over 3-days and $91M over 5 days. The promo machine for Wicked 2 won’t let up: Cynthia Erivo opened the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade days after losing her voice with “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone. And Jeff Goldblum is on social singing “Popular” with Anthony Gargiula and Jonathan Tilkin barbershop-style:
Ticket sales for all movies today, Thanksgiving, are expected to be down some -40% before jumping on Black Friday by +95%. Black Friday last year, thanks to Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II, grossed $108M.
The top 20 films minted $63M yesterday, and while great, it’s -30% off from the same Thanksgiving Eve a year when Moana 2 led all titles to a $90M-plus take.
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Let’s not forget that this holiday stretch has Netflix’s Rian Johnson threequel Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery at around 600 theaters. Though similar to the 696 theaters that Glass Onion: Knives Out played over Thanksgiving week 2022, Wake Up Dead Man doesn’t have the major circuits AMC, Regal and Cinemark that Glass Onion did (I hear the top chains opted not play the movie despite a 24-day theatrical window). So, don’t expect the $15M and beefy weekly $21K theater average that title posted. Rough estimates as Netflix doesn’t report figures are $600K for Wednesday, 3-day of $2M, and 5-day of $3M. We won’t rank in the chart until we have a better sense of numbers. Johnson, who sold the Knives Out sequels to Netflix during Covid for $400M as Deadline first told you, took to social recently to express his upset over the lack of theaters playing Knives Out 3. “I’m as frustrated as you that it’s not everywhere, but new theaters will be added so keep checking — and also, if you’re inclined, it wouldn’t hurt to contact the manager of your local theater and (politely!) ask them if it’s coming,” wrote Johnson to a fan on social. Frankly, not a good look for Netflix on a major film with a 2x Oscar nominated filmmaker, in the wake of the theatrical success on Kpop Demon Hunters, and with the mixed message that they’re not into theatrical; yet will be if they purchase Warner Bros. Studios. Wake Up Dead Man drops on Netflix on Dec. 12. The movie is 95% certified fresh with critics, and 96% with audiences. The first movie, distributed by Liosngate, was a big Thanksgiving 2019 hit for the studio posted a $41M 5-day start, $165.3M domestic B.O., $312.8M global take and an $83M profit.
- Zootopia 2 (Dis) 4,000 theaters, Wed $39.5M, 3-day $88M-$90M, 5-day $140M/Wk 1
- Wicked: For Good (Uni) 4,115 theaters, Wed. $17.2M, 3-day $61M (-59%), 5-day $91.1M, Total $268.5M/Wk 2
- Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (LG) 3,138 (-265) theatres, Wed $1.42M, 3-day $5.5M (-39%) 5-day $8.5M, Total $48M/Wk 3
4. Predator: Badlands (Dis) 2,750 theaters, Wed $900K, 3-day $3.8M (-42%), 5-day $5.4M/Total $83.8M/Wk 4
A2
4. Eternity (A24) 1,348 theaters, Wed $1.45M (includes previews), 3 day $3.2M, 5 day $5.4M/Wk 1
The Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, Callum Turner movie is 90% on Rotten Tomatoes with audiences and 84% positive on PostTrak with a good 54% definite recommend. The comp here on a wide basis is Priscilla ($5M 3-day) and there is expected expansion after this weekend. The movie is leaning 57% female, with a third coming from 25-34 (biggest demo) and 51% 18-34. Diversity demos are 59% Caucasian, 16% Latino and Hispanic, 16% Asian American, and 6% Black. The afterlife romcom is playing best in the West with AMC Grove in LA the top grossing location yesterday with $10K.
6. Running Man (Par) 3,046 theaters, Fri $830K 3-day $3.7M (-35%), 5-day $5.3M, Total $34M/ Wk 3
7. Rental Family (Sea) 1,925 theaters, Wednesday $400K, 3-day $1.7M, 5-day $2.4M (-27%), Total $6.7M/Wk 2
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in ‘Hamnet’
Focus Features
8. Hamnet (Foc) 119 theaters Wed $330K, 3-day $910K, 5-day $1.4M/5-day per theater $11,7K/Wk 1
If these numbers hold, that’s the third best theater average of the weekend after Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good, and damn, that’s really good. The great word has been out on this Chloe Zhao Shakespeare period movie since its fall film festival premiere with 88% certified fresh with Rotten Tomatoes critics. The AMC in Lincoln Square in NYC pulled in $40K yesterday, and the next highest gross was LA’s Grove with $12k>
9. Sisu: Road to Revenge (Sony) 2,222 theaters Wed $200K, 3-day $930K (-61%), 5-day $1.3M, Total $4.2M/Wk 2
10. Regretting You (Par) 1,004 theaters, Wed $138K, 3-day $624K (-60%) 5-day $892K, Total $48.7M/Wk 6
UPDATED, Wednesday afternoon: Disney will continue to own nine of the top 10 Thanksgiving five-day box office openings as Zootopia 2 is set to do around $140 million from its Wednesday to Sunday at 4,000 theaters.
Always take the projection this far out with a grain of salt as a lot comes down to Black Friday and Saturday. Already, with an estimated $39M Wednesday, including yesterday’s $10.2M previews, Zooptopia 2 owns the second-best Wednesday opening for Thanksgiving after last year’s Moana 2 ($57.8M). The Friday-Sunday for the animated sequel with the voices of Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin is pegged between $88M-$90M+.
Remember, business eases on Thanksgiving but picks up in the evening, with Black Friday one of the year’s highest-grossing box office days.
Disney has premium large format screens for Zootopia 2, but they’re sharing Imax with Universal’s Wicked: For Good which gets those auditoriums for evening showtimes.
Here’s how part 2 of Wicked is shaping up next to its predecessor: Wednesday right now is figured at $17M (versus last year’s $20.3M) at 4,115 locations. Wicked‘s Thanksgiving take last year dipped 17% from Wednesday for $16.7M. The three-day on the Jon M. Chu-directed part II is at $60.2M (-59%) at 4,115 sites, with a five-day of $90M and a running total by Sunday of $267.4M. Wicked‘s second weekend was $81.1M (-28%), with a five-day of $118.2M.
Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t at 3,138 theaters is eyeing around $1.5M in its second Wednesday for a third weekend of $6.4M (-28%), a five-day of $9.25M and a running cume of $48.7M by Sunday.
‘Predator: Badlands’
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Disney/20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands at 2,750 theaters is eyeing a third Wednesday of $855,000, a fourth weekend of $3.9M (-40%), a five-day of $5.65M and a running cume of $84M. That will easily make Predator: Badlands the highest-grossing installment of the 38-year-old franchise at the domestic box office, overtaking 2004’s Alien vs. Predator which finaled at $80.2M.
Paramount’s Running Man at 3,046 sites is doing $910K today, $4.1M in weekend 3 (-28%), for a five-day of $5.88M and a running cume of $34.5M.
A24’s Eternity at 1,348 locations is seeing around $400K today, $2M over three days and north of $3M for for days. The afterlife rom-com starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller and Callum Turner is 76% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
WEDNESDAY AM: After a barren harvest at the fall box office, exhibitors have a lot to be thankful for as Disney’s Zootopia 2 and Universal’s Wicked: For Good finally are delivering the goods this holiday season.
Zootopia 2 started previews at 2 p.m. Tuesday that delivered $10.2M. This is the second-highest preview start for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film ever, only behind Moana 2 ($13.8M Tuesday) and ahead of Frozen II ($8.5M Thursday). It’s also the second-highest Tuesday preview for a Disney Thanksgiving opening title.
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Among the top animated previews ever, Zootopia 2 is 8th
- Incredibles 2: $18.5M Thurs / $183M 3-day (2018)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: $17.4M Thurs / $121M 3-day (2023)
- Moana 2: $13.8M Tues / $140M 3-day, $225M 5-day (2024)
- Inside Out 2: $13M Thurs / $154M 3-day (2024)
- Toy Story 4: $12M Thurs / $121M 3-day (2019)
- Demon Slayer – Infinity Castle: $11.4M Thurs / $71M 3-day (2025)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru: $10.8M Thurs / $107M 3-day (2022)
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The domestic outlook for Zootopia 2 is $125M over five days. Many believe there’s room for upside, but if it lands at that projection, it will be the second-best 5-day opener over the domestic Thanksgiving holiday after Moana 2. Global start on the movie directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard is north of $270M. The sequel to the Oscar-winning animated movie stands at 93% certified fresh with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, a few notches below the 98% of the 2016 title.
Meanwhile, Universal’s first Tuesday of Wicked: For Good saw $15.75M, which is the second-best Tuesday of 2025 so far after Warner Bros/DC Studios’ Superman, which did $17.1M. In addition, Wicked: For Good charted the fourth-best Tuesday in November after Frozen 2 ($20.7M, Nov. 26, 2019), Wicked ($16.6M, Nov. 26, 2024) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($15.9M, Nov. 26, 2013). Running cume for Wicked: For Good is $177.5M, 22% ahead of Wicked‘s five-day running cume/previews.
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Last year’s trio of Moana 2, Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II fueled a record Thanksgiving 5-day of $424.9M. Despite the top-heavy success of Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good this weekend, what’s glaringly missing at this year’s Turkey Day box office is a movie for guys a la 2024’s R-rated Gladiator II. Last Tuesday at this time had an extra $6.6M from the Ridley Scott-directed sequel. The Running Man isn’t cutting it, with the movie delivering around $980K yesterday for a cume of $28.7M. The top 20 titles on Tuesday (not counting Zootopia 2 previews) generated $21.7M, -25% from a year ago Tuesday’s tally of $29M.
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