‘Moana’ cruises with $81.1M Thanksgiving weekend

Falling to second was J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which earned $65.8 million over the five-day weekend and $45.1 million over the three-day weekend. The Harry Potter spinoff, from Warner Bros., has brought in $156.2 million in two weeks. Overseas, “Fantastic Beasts,” debuted in China, where its $41.1 million fueled a weekend haul of $132 million internationally.

Those two blockbusters far outpaced more star-driven films.

The Brad Pitt-Marion Cotillard World War II romance “Allied” opened with a mediocre $18 million over five days. The Paramount Pictures release, directed by Robert Zemeckis, cost a hefty $85 million to make. But for a proudly old-fashioned film built around the appeal of its stars, “Allied” had to largely do without Pitt’s promotional presence. The actor’s divorce proceedings from Angelina Jolie largely eclipsed the film, which drew an audience 85 per cent over the age of 25.

“It played older and older audiences don’t storm the theatres weekend one. I think they’re going to take their time,” said Kyle Davies, Paramount’s head of domestic distribution. “There’s not a big influx of new movies until you get closer to Christmas, so we think that’s good for the playability of the picture.”

But Warren Beatty’s first film in 15 years, the 1950s Hollywood comedy “Rules Don’t Apply,” resolutely bombed with $2.2 million over the five-day weekend. Written and directed by Beatty, who also co-stars as Howard Hughes, “Rules Don’t Apply” is the 79-year-old star’s first directed feature since 1998’s “Bulworth.” Though Beatty has worked hard to push the movie (made for about $25 million), its slim total despite playing on 2,382 screens is one of the worst debuts of a wide release in recent years.

“Bad Santa 2,” from Broad Green and Miramax, didn’t flop as badly as “Rules Don’t Apply,” but it pulled in a scant $9 million over five days. The sequel, again starring Billy Bob Thornton, comes 13 years after the 2003 original.

In limited release, a number of potential awards contenders packed theatres. Debuting on a handful of screens were “Lion” ($32,092 per-screen average), with Dev Patel, and “Miss Sloane” ($21,000 per-screen average), with Jessica Chastain. Expanding from four to 48 screens was “Manchester by the Sea,” starring Casey Affleck. It took in $1.3 million with a per-screen average of $26,048.

The holiday weekend was the sixth biggest Thanksgiving at the box office, according to comScore, falling slightly behind most recent years. But the fairly strong business, led by well-reviewed tent pole releases, continued what’s been a healthy fall season, up 4.5 per cent from last year.

“I don’t think you could find a better line-up in theatres right now,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “I’d rather see a group of great movies maybe not breaking a record than a group of terrible movies breaking records left and right. This is better for the long term. This creates goodwill.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Moana,” $55.5 million ($16.3 million international).

2. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” $45.1 million ($132 million international).

3. “Doctor Strange,” $13.4 million ($9.8 million international).

4. “Allied,” $13 million ($9.4 million international).

5. “Arrival,” $11.3 million ($6.7 million international).

6. “Trolls,” $10.4 million ($7.2 million international).

7. “Bad Santa 2,” $6.1 million ($1.4 million international).

8. “Almost Christmas,” $5.7 million.

9. “Hacksaw Ridge,” $5.5 million ($2.1 million international).

10. “The Edge of Seventeen,” $3 million.

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:

1. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” $132 million.

2. “Moana,” $16.3 million.

3. “Doctor Strange,” $9.8 million.

4. “Allied,” $9.4 million.

5. “Trolls,” $7.2 million.

6. “Arrival,” $6.7 million.

7. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” $6.1 million.

8. “Brother,” $6.1 million.

9. “I Am Not Madam Bovary,” $6 million.

10. “Sky on Fire,” $3.8 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

‘Moana’ cruises with $81.1M Thanksgiving weekend

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