Generally, in the United States, after Thanksgiving Day, Americans have a habit of going to the movies. Successful films such as “Frozen”, “Coco” and “Knives Out” have generated many millions of dollars in ticket sales over the weekend after the holiday, setting box office records. Unlike in previous years, in 2020 the studios and cinemas were a bit on the sidelines.
Among the extremely few films released in cinemas this year, “The Croods: A New Age” or “The Croods 2” as it is also called, exceeded all expectations, especially in this pandemic period.
The animated film is a sequel to 2013 (“The Croods”) and was released in theaters on November 25. On Christmas Day, it will be launched online, for those who do not want to go to the movies these days.
The animation, branded by Universal and DreamWorks, generated $ 9.71 million in the US alone during its debut weekend and a total of $ 14.22 million since launch day and so far. These figures are considered a real success, at a time when people are reluctant to go to the movies. But although a success in the pandemic, it hardly meets the initial expectations of Universal.
“This is far from a typical Thanksgiving movie release, but success and failure are relative at this time,” said Box Office Pro chief analyst Shawn Robbins. Most movie theaters are closed, and the fact that major players, such as those in New York and Los Angeles, are closed, “The Croods 2” could be seen in only 2,211 theaters.
But even with these limitations, the film is still a success. It is even possible to eclipse “Tenet” on receipts.
People still need the experience in cinemas
The success of these two films, “The Croods 2” and “Tenet”, makes us understand that people still need the experience offered by cinemas and choose to go where they can watch a movie safe for their health. There’s still a hop to go this winter, though.
Abroad, the animation has accumulated, from seven international markets, the amount of 20.8 million dollars. In China alone, weekend sales were $ 19.2 million.
Compared to their rivals, Universal has been active in launching pandemic films. This was possible because they signed contracts with AMC Theaters and Cinemark, two of the largest film chains in the world. Usually, the movies run exclusively in cinemas for 75-90 days and then move online to streaming services. But the agreement between Universal and AMC allows the new films to be available and PVOD (short for premium video on demand), just a few weeks after its release. Instead, cinemas are expected to receive a commission from digitally generated profits.
“The Croods 2”, the only film with sales of 1 million dollars on the weekend with Thanksgiving
The animation was the only film to exceed $ 1 million in sales on the weekend after Thanksgiving. The horror film “Freaky”, also a Universal brand, came in second with $ 770,000 and, in total, generated $ 7 million in three weeks.
Two months after its release, Robert De Niro’s new film, “The War With Grandpa,” holds up well and ranks third with $ 643,936, generating a total of $ 17.2 million.
“Let Him Go” and “Come Play,” both from Focus Features, are close by. The first, starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, sold for $ 453,000 a weekend and generated $ 8.7 million in the four weeks since its launch. The second film, “Come Play,” sold 387,000 over the weekend and a total of $ 8.7 million in the United States.
Robert J. Smith is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including JoyStiq and Android Authority. In regards to academics, Robert earned a degree in business from Fordham University. Robert has passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.