‘Coco’ pulls in sweet $71.2M, tops ‘Justice’
NEW YORK – Pixar’s Coco sang its way to the fourth-best Thanksgiving weekend ever with an estimated $71.2 million for five days, a total that easily toppled the superhero ensemble Justice League.
Coco rode strong reviews and an A-plus CinemaScore from audiences to take the top spot at the domestic box office. According to studio estimates Sunday, it grossed $49 million from Friday to Sunday.
Centered on the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Coco has already set box office records in Mexico, where it has made $53.4 million in three weeks.
After a disappointing debut last weekend, the much-maligned DC Comics film Justice League slid to second with $40.7 million. In the five-day holiday frame, it earned about $60 million.
The two top spots told a familiar tale: Quality is trumping mediocrity at the box office, where Rotten Tomato ratings bear considerable weight and word of mouth spreads lightning quick.
Coco is Pixar’s sixth release to land an A-plus CinemaScore from audiences. The film’s Rotten Tomatoes rating, 96% fresh, is more than double that of Justice League (41%).
The success of Coco, which features a largely Latino cast, came as reports of sexual misconduct were published regarding Pixar co-founder and Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, who announced Tuesday that he was taking “a six-month sabbatical” after acknowledging “missteps” “unwanted hugs” with employees.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, called the film’s result a positive story in “a week that was pretty challenging for Pixar.”
Still, the most profitable movie at the box office might be Wonder, directed by Stephen Chbosky. Starring Jacob Tremblay as a boy born with severe facial irregularities and Julia Roberts as his and mom, the film has made $69.4 million against a $20 million budget. It slid just
19% in its second week, earning $22.3 million in third place.
Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, starring Chris Hemsworth as the thunder god, fell to fourth with $16.8 million, and holiday sequel Daddy’s Home 2, with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow as Mark Wahlberg’s and Will Ferrell’s dads, was fifth with $13.3 million.
A number of specialty releases with Oscar ambitions also hit theaters.
Call Me By Your Name, the same-sex romance starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, had one of the year’s best limited releases, pulling in nearly $405,000 in four theaters for a per-location average of $101,000.
Darkest Hour, with Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, debuted with
$176,000 on four screens, averaging
$44,000 per theater.
Less successful was the national rollout of Roman J. Israel, Esq. with Denzel Washington. With $4.5 million on 1,665 screens, it’s an atypical downturn for one of Hollywood’s most consistently bankable stars.
Final figures are expected Monday.