Thanksgiving Weekend Estimates: Enchanted Movie Market

November 25, 2007

As expected, Enchanted won the Thanksgiving box office race, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. With a solid $35 million over the three day weekend, and $50 million in five days, the family fantasy had an excellent debut. If strong reviews translate into good word-of-mouth, this could be the first blockbuster of the Holiday Season. The biggest surprise of the weekend, though, was This Christmas, which blew past its tracking numbers and beat everyone's expectations with an estimated $18.6 million in just 1,858 theaters. It has already notched up $27.1 million in its first five days. Also out-performing expectations was Hitman, which finished fourth with a very creditable $13.035 million.

Overall, family movies dominated the weekend, with Fred Claus and Bee Movie falling only 10% and 14% from last weekend's performance, respectively. No Country for Old Men proved to be effective counter-programming as it expanded to 860 theaters and just made it into the top 10 with $8.1 million.

With such a crowded market for openers, it was inevitable that some movies would under-perform, but the weekend is remarkable for having no out-and-out disasters. The Mist earned just over $9 million from 2,423 theaters, while August Rush made $9.4 million in 2,310 theaters. Neither result is much to write home about, but the movies certainly can't be considered box office duds.

- Weekend Estimates

Filed under: Enchanted, No Country for Old Men, This Christmas, Hitman, August Rush, The Mist