"Frozen 2" kept a wintry wind at its back in its second week, setting a Thanksgiving record with a whopping box office bounty, while newcomer "Knives Out" found its own broad audience.
'Frozen 2' sets record; 'Knives Out' surprises
December 1, 2019 at 10:32PM
Disney's new set of adventures for Anna, Elsa and Olaf brought in $85.3 million in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend and earned an unprecedented $132.7 million for the holiday spanning Wednesday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.
The first "Frozen" opened on Thanksgiving in 2013, but the sequel opened a week before the holiday, making it poised for a huge second week, with out-of-school kids happy to see it again.
"Having the opening weekend falling a few days ahead of Thanksgiving really set it up perfectly," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the box office tracker Comscore.
"Knives Out," the innovative whodunit from writer and director Rian Johnson, rode great reviews and social media buzz to a $27 million weekend and a five-day domestic total of $41.7 million that earned back its budget.
The film's vast and eclectic cast included Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette and Chris Evans.
Johnson, the director of "Looper" and "The Last Jedi," had been the target of Twitter fanboy outrage for the direction he took the second episode in the newest "Star Wars" trilogy, whose final chapter opens Dec. 20.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday:
1. "Frozen 2," $85.3 million.
2. "Knives Out," $27 million.
3. "Ford v Ferrari," $13.2 million.
4. "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," $11.8 million.
5. "Queen & Slim," $11.7 million.
6. "21 Bridges," $5.8 million.
7. "Playing with Fire," $4.2 million.
8. "Midway," $4 million.
9. "Joker," $2 million.
10. "Last Christmas," $1.99 million.
Associated Press
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