ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Conjures Up $50M Thanksgiving Debut

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Conjures Up $50M Thanksgiving Debut

The latest Disney movie was no holiday turkey.

by Gitesh Pandya | November 25, 2007

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The box office bounced back over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend as moviegoers spread their dollars across a wide variety of films which collectively helped to bring the marketplace back to life after a mostly uneventful fall season. Disney led the way with its new family pic Enchanted, which ruled the multiplexes, but a surprisingly potent opening for the holiday comedy This Christmas contributed to the weekend's success too. Other new releases were sprinkled across the top ten which virtually matched the Thanksgiving numbers posted over each of the last two years. An unprecedented eleven films each grossed $8M or more over the frame as every audience segment found something to see over the long holiday weekend.

For the first time in eight years, Disney opened a new release at number one over the turkey frame. The studio's princess tale Enchanted powered past all competitors to bow on top with an estimated $35.3M over the Friday-to-Sunday period and an incredible $50M across the five-day holiday span which began on Wednesday. That led to a muscular $9,472 average from an ultrawide 3,730 sites over three days. The PG-rated story of an animated princess who encounters the live-action world posted the second biggest five-day opening ever over the Thanksgiving session.

The only hit to debut better was 1999's Toy Story 2 from Disney and Pixar with $80.1M which was also the studio's last new pic to bow at number one over this frame. From 1994 to 1999, the Mouse House consistently debuted a new family film each year at number one over this lucrative holiday frame. Enchanted should have no problem finding its way into the century club.

Beating expectations to open in the number two spot was the family reunion film This Christmas which debuted to an estimated $18.6M over three days and a stunning $27.1M over the five-day period. Sony's inexpensive $13M production averaged a potent $10,011 over three days from only 1,858 theaters for the best average among wide releases. The feel-good holiday pic brought in two-thirds of its business from African-American moviegoers proving once again how powerful that audience is at the box office. Look for This Christmas to finish up as a very profitable venture.

Last week's top warrior Beowulf dropped 41% to an estimated $16.2M and landed in third place. With $56.4M in its treasure chest after ten days, the $150M-budgeted Paramount release should conclude its domestic run with about $80-90M.

Competing actioner Hitman debuted in fourth place with an estimated $13M over three days from 2,458 locations. Averaging a decent $5,303 per venue, the R-rated film about a super-assassin was adapted from a popular video game. Over five days, Hitman shot up $21M for Fox which was targeting many of the same young males that were going to see Beowulf.

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(1-20 of 22 posts) | Reply

Boss Fan writes:
on Nov 25 2007 05:04 PM

%u201CHitman%u201D was okay, but %u201CThe Mist%u201D was good, or at least ambitious in its intent to be a little something more than a horror flick and make you think (no matter what you thought of the film, the ending, or what it was trying to say - chances are it had you talking). I would have liked to see these movies trade slots and grosses.

Not sure why %u201CEnchanted%u201D drew such big numbers. Yeah, it%u2019s a family film everyone will say, but those flop just as much as they hit. There was no reason to believe this one would have been so big. Same with This Christmas%u201D: Sure, we can compare it to a Tyler Perry flick in hindsight and say these types of movies draw big numbers, but for everyone like this, there's about ten ethnic-centered duds. Guess this was just the time for both the generic family film and the generic ethnic family flick to have a hit. Watch for the next few like them to fall by the wayside.

I also caught %u201CNo Country For Old Men%u201D and understood all the praise for it%u2026 right up %u2018til the end. I was lovin' it, but toward the last half hour it got real talky (we get it, this no longer the country you knew, old men) and that ending - call it artful if you like - but its bound to disappoint most. And no, not because those people are those ADD movie goers who need everything all fast paced, explained or with a clear end point (I'm a guy who loves cryptic, ponderous and contemplative stories - one of the things I liked about %u201CThe Mist%u201D; the horror stuff and effects were the least of it - and I love artsy flicks where the art of filmmaking is displayed %u2013 %u201CLetter From Iwo Jima%u201D was my favorite film of last year because I think it was all these things I just mentioned, but hardly a typical, fast-paced crowd pleaser), but because the film moved at a at the same brisk pace for the first two thirds, building dread, capturing attention, then all of a sudden slams on the breaks and crawls to an abrupt close. It is hard, even for someone who likes to have to "think about" an ending to see it as anything less than a disappointment. It is "artsy" to abandon showing the demise of the protagonist - or any explanation of it at all? What's with the scene where Bardeim is very clearly awaiting Jones' entry and then all of a sudden not in the room? Why did they save up two or three long conversations between Jones and other characters for the end of the film? Mix 'em in to the body of the flick for momentum%u2019s sake. If we are to interpret the ending the way I think we are (what Jones talking about his %u2018nights sleep%u2019 with his wife means about the rest of the story), that's fine, but it doesn't make these points I take issue with seem any more reasonable from a filmmaking standpoint. I know people love this movie. And I loved 2/3rd of it; hell, I'd say those 2/3rds are indeed the masterpiece the critics say the film is - great characters, dialog and suspense - all Coen Bros. staples, and it gets their usual sense of place and great camera work and cinematography right too - but its like they purposely sabotaged their storytelling in the last half hour. The film probably should have concluded with Jones entering that hotel room and something different happening. Then move to the scene with his wife. I dunno. Very disappointing though.

Anyway, a bit off point from weekend grosses, but I've been feeling like saying that and I was on a role. Also, %u201CGone Baby Gone%u201D is great and deserves better grosses. %u201CBefore the Devil Knows You Dead%u201D is, I think, somewhat overrated but a good story and a movie worth seeing at some point, plus Marisa Tomei is just smokin' in it!

(Reply to this)

Bardego writes:
on Nov 25 2007 05:14 PM

Boss Fan, I think one of the reasons why Enchanted drew such big numbers is because of the unexpected praise from critics. Obviously, most families don't care what they say, but I think the 93% rating got a lot of otherwise uninterested people wanting to check it out. I mean, honestly, did anyone expect Enchanted to recieve even moderately good reviews?

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~*Admiral Snowstorm*~ writes:
on Nov 25 2007 05:28 PM

Yeah, seriously, Enchanted was destined to be terrible. And it ended up not only being Fresh, it ended up becoming one of the best reviewed films of the year. That definitely got me interested, and, indeed, I just got back from seeing it earlier this afternoon. It actually does live up to the hype, believe it or not. It's not the best film I've seen all year, but it's somewhere up there, and it was actually a pretty good movie. The only part that really bothered me was the talking chipmunk, but the film actually solved its own problem there by making it unable to talk in the real world and having to resort to weird and strangely hilarious pantomimes. So put up with it for the first %u224810 minutes when the film is still animated, and you'll be past the film's only real hurdle. The rest of it is quite good, well-acted, and unexpectedly funny. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and I wouldn't suggest an adult male going to see it on his own, but if any of you are on the fence about it, I would recommend that you see it. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

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curtis writes:
on Nov 25 2007 05:31 PM

That is great for this Christmas. It has the best PTA in the top ten. I knew all those sould out theaters would amount to something

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daycare writes:
on Nov 25 2007 05:33 PM

WOW for This Christmas, I knew it would do good but not the good. Look like good word of mouth got out in time for that film. 27.1 in 1,800 theaters is just great. Good for Enchanted although it was expected

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mattia77 writes:
on Nov 25 2007 06:54 PM

I hope August Rush is able to break through...I thought Enchanted was a good movie too, but Rush is a far superior PG movie.

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jimtrots writes:
on Nov 25 2007 08:26 PM

Typical, a movie as good as No Country For Old Men makes almost nothing. If you haven't, see this movie, as it should dominate award season.

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malaguy writes:
on Nov 25 2007 08:47 PM

i got dragged to Enchanted by my family, and yeah, it drew a few laughs from me, but that doesn't mean it was that great. it certainly didn't break any new ground. i'll probably be in the minority, but a few cute moments is not enough for a movie to be called "a fresh take on an old story-type" if your interested, you could wait for DVD and not miss anything.

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malaguy writes:
on Nov 25 2007 08:48 PM

i got dragged to Enchanted by my family, and yeah, it drew a few laughs from me, but that doesn't mean it was that great. it certainly didn't break any new ground. i'll probably be in the minority, but a few cute moments is not enough for a movie to be called "a fresh take on an old story-type" if your interested, you could wait for DVD and not miss anything.

(Reply to this)

lindsayraye writes:
on Nov 25 2007 08:49 PM

Bardego, I think you're exactly right. I mean, Disney has not consistently produced great movies in quite some time -- at least, not without Pixar. I thought Enchanted would be another poorly rated family movie. When I saw the high rating, I was dumbfounded. I knew I had to see it. I was not disappointed in my choice.

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lindsayraye writes:
on Nov 25 2007 08:55 PM

I won't be surprised if Disney makes sequels.. I'm not sure how great they could be. I'm sure they will have to come up with pretty darn good scripts to get some of the starts to stay -- especially Amy. She seems like a smart actress who is very picky about the roles she chooses. Lets hope we don't get any Cinderella II's.

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knowingtoast85 writes:
on Nov 26 2007 12:51 AM

Shame "The Mist" underperformed. Horror counter-programming just doesn't work in the face of the almighty family movie, not when the holidays have started. I think it would have been wise to bow in February, when the line between must-avoid crap and the spring mini-tentpoles starts to blur. Then again, I predicted "Hitman" to bomb like any other video game adaptation, and I was wrong.

I don't think anyone doubted "Enchanted" would dominate, even though the trailers looked like comedy apocalypse (fat sassy lady, check; quick-cut on curse word, check). Nowadays, people laugh with derision after every trailer. It's just more proof that people listen to critics and word-of-mouth. If "Alvin & the Chipmunks" were to build up a steady tomatometer, I'd say you could count on its success at the box office as well. But that's Alternate Universe X we're talking about.

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jasperoosterveld writes:
on Nov 26 2007 01:22 AM

I saw beowulff and it was ok but not really good, it was a bit silly, only the end battle was ok.

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~*Admiral Snowstorm*~ writes:
on Nov 26 2007 05:47 AM

I remember reading an article here on RT that said Enchanted has sequels lined up for it in case it ends up being a success...Well, considering it just made a ton of money and everyone seems to like it, if only a little bit for some, I see an Enchanted 2 on the horizon. They've also got a third one ready, if I remember right. Hopefully Enchanted 2 won't do well enough to justify a third in the franchise (because it will soon be a franchise.). Or maybe the second will be the Shrek 2 of the series and the third will be the Shrek 3 of the series. Who knows? Right now, when the sequels are still a ways away in the future, I'm just glad that Disney actually made a good non-Pixar movie after what must have been years since their last big hit.

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Gimy writes:
on Nov 26 2007 07:45 AM

is that a typo?!?! holy sh3t. i saw NUMEROUS previews for Enchanted, it looked decent but "great"??? wow. it WREAKED of straight to dvd-itis to me but whatever. i'd never see a movie based on critical acclaim or critical hate...been burned too many times with that bs.

saw Beowulf, pretty sweet. the major flaw in the movie was that they didn't take advantage of the 3d enough. it just seems like if they would have went on an adventure or something...it'd have been better. stayed too long in one place. some of the fight scenes were awesome though. still, good flick.

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unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Nov 26 2007 08:19 AM

I'm happy Amy Adams has a big hit, she's awesome, I'll see it next weekend. Hitman had good action but a weak unfleshed out storyline(C ), Superbad was pretty funning, not the funniest movie of the year though(B), and Lars and the Real Girl was strange, funny and pretty heartfelt(B ), one of the years best.

(Reply to this)

sfsilver writes:
on Nov 26 2007 10:07 AM

I was always on board with Enchanted. The idea of turning the animation trope on it's ear and a solid cast seemed like great fun. I am not a big family film fan, and outside of Pixar most of this stuff for me has been sub-par for a few years now. I liked the previews and Enchanted and the Mist were the movies I planned my weekend around. Enchanted was exactly what it needed to be and was a delight.

Really enjoyed the Mist as well. Not perfect or a horror classic, but a thoroughly entertaining chiller.

Also saw Margot at the Wedding which is top notch. Beautifully written and the best Nicole Kidman performance in some time.

So good to see No Country for Old Men succeeding. Brilliant from top to bottom.

(Reply to this)

daycare writes:
on Nov 26 2007 11:02 AM

Did anybody see This Christmas because with those numbers it had to sell out everywere.

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Poor_Frisco writes:
on Nov 26 2007 11:03 AM

saw beowulf it was visually fantastic but i saw it on IMAX 3D i doubt i would have liked it as much on a regular screen or DVD
caught up and saw across the universe at the local drive in. visually mesmerizing i'm anticipating the DVD i'd like to see it a few more times.
only wide release this week is Awake????? lame
gonna have to catch no country for old men next

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BatsInTheBelfry writes:
on Nov 26 2007 12:33 PM

No Country for Old Men was fantastic, one of the best movies of the year.

The Mist was surprisingly good and had a truly horrifying ending.

Enchanted was also surprisingly good, though 90% of that is all Amy Adams. I know it's a kids movie and all, but she was good enough to get an Oscar nom. No joke.

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