Disney may be thankful for several reasons this Thanksgiving as Encanto, their latest animated film, is projected to earn $70 million at the worldwide box office this weekend. According to Deadline, Disney is expecting $35-$40 million in ticket sales domestically along with $35 million in overseas markets. However, Encanto is not opening yet in China, New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia, and Vietnam. Encanto so far did make $1.5 million at the box office for its Tuesday night previews.
Many studios have shifted away from making family films exclusively for theaters. However, Ghostbusters: Afterlife recently did fairly well in its opening weekend, earning $44 million. According to Collider, “a third of the box office receipts coming from families.”
Previously, many family films were given hybrid release strategies where they dropped in theaters and on streaming or premium VOD on the same day. This includes Disney’s last animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon, which debuted in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access at the same time. Other family films that had hybrid releases were Universal’s The Boss Baby: Family Business, Warner Bros’ Tom & Jerry, and Paramount’s Paw Patrol: The Movie. Encanto will be a real test to see if families are ready to go back to the theaters.
Encanto is Disney’s 60th animated feature and is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush. It follows the Madrigal family, who live in a magical house hidden away in the mountains of Colombia. Each family member has been granted a unique power from the magic in the house, except for Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). However, when the house and her family are in danger, it is up to Mirabel to discover her own gifts and save her family.
The rest of the cast for includes John Leguizamo, MarÃa Cecilia Botero, Diane Guerrero, Wilmer Valderrama, Jessica Darrow, and Alan Tudyk. Encanto features original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda who also wrote the songs for Moana.
