Animated musical v blockbuster book adaptation: it's going to be a big weekend
The Hunger Games has enjoyed a lucrative stint atop the box office mountain, breaking records and – pretty much – living up to its expectations both critically and fiscally. But the Thanksgiving weekend usually sees family films prevail, and it doesn’t get more nuclear, sociologically speaking, than an animated musical from Disney.
Can Disney's Frozen usurp the powerful Hunger Games?
Today, (Wed 28 Nov) is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s sixth day of release, and the day we expect it to move past the $200m mark domestically, bringing it’s global haul up to the $350m mark. It’s been a triumph, no doubt, but could Frozen change the aesthetic of the box office this weekend?
With Disney’s penchant for - and considerable experience in – releasing films for the Thanksgiving weekend, it looks as though it’ll be a close run thing. Enchanted came out at this time in 2007, bringing in $49m in its first five days of release. Then we had Tangled – a reworking of the Rapunzel tale - that turfed up $68.7 million in 2010.
The omens are positive. Having said that, conservative estimates would suggest Hunger Games will grab something near the $80m mark, meaning Frozen would have to pull out a record-breaking performance to trump the Lionsgate sequel, which has dominated the attention of critics and fans alike since it’s initial, U.K release.
Frozen, which stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, sees Anna (Bell) team up with Kristoff (Groff) in attempt to locate her lost sister, Elsa, whose supernatural icy powers have seen the kingdom in an infinite winter.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to hit something near $80m this Thanksgiving period
It’s been a hit with the critics, accumulating a solid 86% on Rotten Tomatoes as the reviews lavished praise on the film’s Disney heritage. “In a year of weak animated features, Frozen - loosely based on "The Snow Queen" - takes the lead by default,” said Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers. “Frozen is one of the few recent films to capture that classic Disney spirit,” said Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri.
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