The first round of opening weekend projections for Thanksgiving are highlighted by Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and Warner Bros./MGM’s “Creed II,” two sequels that are expected to improve on the openings of their predecessors.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” is currently projected to open to $65 million, which would be a roughly 33 percent improvement over the $49 million opening “Wreck-It Ralph” scored in early November 2012. It would also beat the $50 million opening for Disney’s Thanksgiving offering last year, the Pixar Oscar winner “Coco,” and the $56 million opening for its 2016 Thanksgiving film, “Moana.” It comes at the right time, too, as another Disney release, the $130 million “Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” is expected to bomb this weekend with a $20 million opening.
“Wreck-It Ralph” was a relatively solid success for Disney, earning $189.4 million domestically and $471.2 million worldwide. But “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is expected to do even better, thanks to both the name recognition the first film built and a trailer that became a viral sensation with more than 16 million views on Disney’s YouTube channel.
While the first film heavily advertised the video game cameos with posters that included the likes of Sonic and M. Bison alongside the movie’s protagonist, the sequel is using meta-humor as the main draw, poking fun at the wide array of intellectual property that has been developed — and bought — by Disney since the first film came out.
The centerpiece of the marketing is a much talked about scene in which Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) comes face-to-face with all of the Disney princesses. It pokes fun at the princess formula Disney has become known for over the decades. The success of films like “Deadpool” has shown that moviegoers can’t get enough of pop culture ribbing itself, and it should lead to strong word-of-mouth for this manic take on the blockbuster empire Disney has built this decade.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” sees Vanellope and Ralph (John C. Reilly) leave their little arcade and head out to the Internet to find a component that could fix Vanellope’s game and keep her from losing her home. But when Vanellope lands in a gritty driving game and earns the respect of a driver named Shank (Gal Gadot), Vanellope must decide whether she wants to stay in the Internet. Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch also star, with Taraji P. Henson joining the cast.
“Creed II,” meanwhile, is looking at an opening in the high $40 million range, a big improvement over the first film’s $29.6 million opening. The film should perform particularly well with African-American audiences, as lead star Michael B. Jordan’s profile has been elevated immensely after his show-stealing performance in “Black Panther.” Ryan Coogler, who directed both “Panther” and “Creed,” returns here as an executive producer, with Steven Caple Jr. directing from a script co-written by Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone.
“Creed II” sees Adonis Creed’s boxing career take a deeply personal turn after he is challenged to a match by Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed Adonis’ father during a match in “Rocky IV” and who was later defeated by Rocky. Blinded by rage, Adonis accepts the challenge with a reluctant Rocky in his corner.
Jordan, Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad return from the original film, with Dolph Lundgren reprising his role as Ivan Drago and Florian Munteanu joining as Viktor. Milo Ventimiglia also joins the cast as Rocky’s estranged son, Robert Balboa, Jr.
Also in play on Thanksgiving are Lionsgate’s “Robin Hood” and Universal’s awards contender “Green Book,” which, respectively, are projected to open in the high teens and the high single-digit range. “Robin Hood,” which stars Taron Egerton in a retelling of the famous Sherwood Forest rogue, might find itself squeezed out by “Creed II” among moviegoers looking for a film with thrills during the holiday.
“Green Book,” meanwhile, will open on Wednesday and look to build word-of-mouth over the five-day weekend. The film won the audience prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was praised by critics as a crowd-pleasing story of jazz maestro Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his unlikely friendship with the gregarious Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) as the latter chauffeurs him through his tour of Jim Crow South. Peter Farrelly directs the film, which has a 93 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews.
30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734
In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
Pixar Animation Studios
29. "Sing" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679
Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
28. "Moana" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111
Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."
Disney
27. "Big Hero 6" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612
Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
Disney Animation Studios
26. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780
Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
Twentieth Century Fox
25. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)
Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281
With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
24. "Up" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082
The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
Pixar Animation Studios
23. "Monsters University" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437
Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
22. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
21. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867
The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
20. "Shrek the Third" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162
Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
19. "Coco" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196
Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
Disney/Pixar
18. "Inside Out" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174
Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Disney/Pixar
17. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)
Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937
Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
15."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671
While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
14. "Shrek 2" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758
DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
13. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536
"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
Pixar Studios
12. "The Lion King" (1994)
Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777
Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
Disney Animation Studios
11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885
Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
Illumination Studios
10. "Zootopia" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195
Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
Disney
9. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889
The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
Pixar
8. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409
Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703
Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
Pixar Studios
6. "Toy Story 4" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,073,394,593
Nearly two decades after the last film, Woody and Buzz and the gang returned for the top-grossing film in the series (not adjusted for inflation, that is).
Disney
5. "Minions" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397
The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
4. "Incredibles 2" (2018)
Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359
The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original -- but far surpassed the original film's box office haul.
Disney/Pixar
3. "Frozen" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335
Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
Disney Animation Studios
2. "Frozen II" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,450,026,933
Though it failed to garner an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature, this sequel still managed to outgross its predecessor.
1. The Lion King (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000
Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new "Lion King" was computer animated, so we're putting it on the list.
Disney
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Cartoon characters that cleaned up at the global box office, from “The Lion King” to “Incredibles 2”
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.