Box Office Bonanza: 'Zootopia 2' and 'Wicked: For Good' Dominate Black Friday Weekend
The box office saw a boost on Black Friday with the release of "Zootopia 2" and "Wicked: For Good." "Zootopia 2" raked in an impressive $38.5 million on Friday from 4,000 theaters in North America, totaling $97.7 million since its debut. The animated sequel is expected to reach over $155 million in the first five days. Meanwhile, "Wicked: For Good" secured the second spot with $26 million on its second Friday, bringing its total to $226.6 million domestically and projected to hit $270 million by the end of the holiday weekend.
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, "Zootopia 2" follows the adventures of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they investigate a mysterious outsider in their city. The film's success is poised to surpass other Thanksgiving week hits like "Frozen II" and "Hunger Games: Catching Fire." On the other hand, "Wicked: For Good," directed by Jon M. Chu, experienced a 62% decline in its second week but is still performing well at the box office.
In other box office news, "Eternity," a fantasy romance from A24, opened in sixth place with $1.1 million, while "Rental Family," starring Brendan Fraser, earned $800,000 in its second week. Additionally, "Hamnet," a potential awards contender, made $300,000 in limited release. "Now You See Me: Now You Don’t," "Predator: Badlands," and "The Running Man" rounded out the top five at the box office.
Overall, the holiday weekend proved to be a lucrative time for theaters, with audiences flocking to see a variety of films across different genres. The success of "Zootopia 2" and "Wicked: For Good" bodes well for the industry as it heads into the end of the year and the upcoming awards season.