It is a very big weekend for Hollywood at the box office. While it may seem like a normal Thanksgiving weekend at cinemas, there are two big tests being run with the public that are likely to determine the next few years of moviegoing.
Ghostbusters Afterlife overperformed expectations last weekend by about ten million. The film overcame critics who often came out against the movie simply because they dislike the public reaction to the all-women Ghostbuster film from 2016. Now, Ghostbusters Afterlife is attempting to do the unthinkable and hold the top spot at the box office against Encanto, an animated Disney film on a holiday weekend.
But hold it, it may. Ghostbusters only trailed Encanto by about $500,000 in the domestic box office for Thanksgiving Day. That is essentially the opening mark for Encanto, so to only win the day by that amount may signal that Ghostbusters is able to take the lead over the next three days, Friday included. It is important to remember that early showings on Wednesday give Encanto a $2 million total lead, but that’s easily suprassed if Ghosbusters Afterlife draws crowds off of word-of-mouth.
There are so many great movies in theaters right now. It makes me so happy. Please go support theatrical releases. Box office matters for the future of cinema so get your family and friends together and go. What are you excited to see?
— Logan Lerman (@LoganLerman) November 24, 2021
There are a couple of things at play here. First, Ghostbusters Afterlife is a small-budget, indie-like film that caters to fans of the original classic eighties films. While the new movie stands on its own, it nonetheless pays homage to and respects the source material. This is different than what Hollywood has been attempting lately when they try to deconstruct and revolutionize rebooted franchises according to southern California tastes. At the same time, Encanto is fighting with one hand behind its back. The movie is yet another attempt by Disney to rejigger the cinema release formula… this time with Encanto having already been announced as a free Disney+ release in time for Christmas. So do families know that? Do they go to the movies and pay for a movie that will be free in just a few weeks?
For both cases, these movies are signaling to the studios what direction they should go. With Ghostbusters, we’re finding out if the strategy of loving on original characters is lucrative. Marvel has lost money on the last three films they’ve released. Ghostbusters Afterlife is almost certain to profit. If it can beat a Disney animated film on a holiday weekend, corporate executives that love money more than social campaigns are likely to kick franchise-altering, postmodern scripts out the door. At the same time, Disney is still working on finding a way to have big budget, blockbuster movies make a ton at the theaters, while simultaneously growing their Disney+ subscribers. They’re very desperate to get those subscriptions up. Is Encanto the way they’ll finally break through? It doesn’t seem like this movie is the quality-level to get there, but the media and the critics are doing everything they can to boost its chances.
So, let us know in the comments below what you’re going to see this weekend? If you’re going to see Encanto, did the Disney+ free release in a month cause you to hesitate? We’re very curious what moviegoers are thinking as Hollywood searches for a reliable way towards constant profit.
