Disney Animation’s “Encanto” bested its many competitors over the extended Thanksgiving weekend, conjuring $40.3 million at the domestic box office, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

In second place was Sony Pictures’ “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which scared up $35.3 million in its sophomore weekend for a North American cumulative of $87.8 million. Rounding out the top three was United Artists Releasing’s “House of Gucci,” which grossed $21.8 million over its five-day opening weekend and has been heavily hyped for Lady Gaga’s performance.

Directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith, “Encanto” centers on a Colombian girl named Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), who is determined to find her purpose as the only member of her family without magical powers.

The voice cast of the family flick also includes María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Adassa, Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, Angie Cepeda, Jessica Darrow, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitán, Ravi Cabot-Conyers and John Leguizamo.

“Encanto,” which features songs by “Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, scored a glowing 92 percent on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a superb A-rating from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

Directed by Ridley Scott, “House of Gucci” garnered mixed reviews amounting to 61 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The highly anticipated period drama – starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino – also earned a B+ from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

Securing fourth and fifth place, respectively, at the domestic box office were Disney’s “Eternals,” which collected $11.4 million over its extended fourth weekend for a North American cumulative of $150.6 million; and Sony’s “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” which launched at $8.8 million over the five-day holiday.

Other notable debuts included United Artists Releasing’s “Licorice Pizza,” which opened in limited release and raked in $335,000 across four locations in New York and Los Angeles. Paul Thomas Anderson’s romantic dramedy, starring Alana Haim (of the pop band Haim) and Cooper Hoffman, notched an impressive 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while a grade from CinemaScore has yet to be posted.

The only film opening in wide release next weekend is the Focus Features art house drama “Wolf,” starring Lily-Rose Depp and George MacKay.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.