Thanksgiving Box Office: ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ Eyes Record, ‘Creed II’ Packs Wallop
By Brent Lang
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is practically gorging itself at the Thanksgiving box office.
Buoyed by good reviews, the Disney animated sequel appears to be the de facto choice for families looking for options to get out of the house and break away from all the feasting. The film racked up a massive $18.5 million on Wednesday, its first full day of release. It is now looking at a domestic launch of $80 million-plus over the five-day period, with rival studios projecting that “” could end its holiday run with between $90 million to $100 million in grosses. If the film hits those lofty figures it could break the previous Thanksgiving record set by Disney’s “Frozen” at $93.6 million.
Of course, “Ralph” has some formidable competition at the multiplexes, at least when it comes to older audiences. MGM and New Line’s “Creed II” is also performing well, punching its way to $11.6 million on Wednesday and putting the boxing drama on the path to making $62 million at 3,359 venues over five days. Both sequels are dwarfing early forecasts. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” had been expected to earn between $67 million to $77 million over its first five days of release and “Creed” was expected to make roughly $45 million.
But pity poor “Robin Hood.” The fantasy adventure earned $3.2 million in its first full day of release and is expected to generate an anemic $17 million at 2,715 venues for the holiday period. That’s a piddling result considering its roughly $100 million budget.
“” stars Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, a boxer out to prove he’s as worthy of a title shot as his father, Apollo Creed. Sylvester Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is a follow-up to “Wreck It Ralph” and follows a video game villain (John C. Reilly) and his friend (Sarah Silverman) as they travel through the World Wide Web. Both films have enjoyed strong reviews, an advantage that “Robin Hood” lacks. “Robin Hood” stars Taron Egerton of “Kingsmen” fame as the titular bandit.
Holdovers “The Grinch” and “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” are in a battle for third place with projections of about $40 million each for the five days. Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts” earned $6.9 million, bringing its total to $81.2 million. The Harry Potter spinoff is shaping up to be something of a disappointment for the studio, as it is failing to match the box office of the first “Fantastic Beasts,” a sign the franchise is losing steam.
“The Grinch,” an animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic about a miserly creature who hates the holidays, picked up $4.2 million on Wednesday, pushing its domestic haul to $178.5 million.
“The Green Book,” an awards hopeful that’s been marred by controversy surrounding star Viggo Mortensen’s use of the N-word at a screening, is disappointing in its expansion. The DreamWorks and Participant release moved into 1,063 cinemas and grossed $908,000. It should earn a lackluster five-day gross of $6 million. Mortensen did apologize for using the word and some of the media attention appears to have dissipated. “The Green Book” co-stars Mahershala Ali and centers on a black pianist’s tour through the South during the Jim Crow era.
