“Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Creed II” are poised to become big holiday hits after earning an impressive $3.8 million and $3.7 million, respectively, from Tuesday previews.
The two sequels are expected to dominate the box office during a busy Thanksgiving period and to make quick work of the week’s other wide release, “Robin Hood.” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is projected to earn between $67 million to $77 million over its first five days of releases, with “Creed” set to pull in north of $45 million during that same period.
“Ralph’s” preview numbers compare favorably with Disney’s two recent Thanksgiving offerings, “Coco” and “Moana,” which earned $2.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively. “Coco” ended the Thanksgiving holiday with $71.2 million and “Moana” generated $81 million throughout the Turkey Day turnpike.
“Creed II’s” initial results dwarf those of “Creed,” which picked up $1.5 million from previews when it hit theaters in Thanksgiving of 2015.
With “Creed II” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet” slugging it out for the top spot, Lionsgate and Summit’s “Robin Hood” quietly picked up $800,000 from over 2,100 locations on Tuesday. The latest version of the oft-told tale of a bandit who robs from the rich to feed the poor grossed an additional $400,000 from Monday night paid promotional screenings. Its total gross stands at $1.2 million. With a budget of nearly $100 million, “Robin Hood” seems unlikely to hit a box office bullseye. The action-adventure, which sees Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx donning tights, is expected to make $15 million from over 2,700 venues over the five-day period. That’s a disappointing result considering its cost.
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The new releases will have some formidable holdovers to contend with, namely Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” which picked up $7 million on Tuesday, driving the Harry Potter spinoff’s domestic total to $74.2 million.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” follows video game villain Ralph and his best pal Vanellope, and brings back original vocal stars John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman. “Wreck It Ralph,” its predecessor, landed an Oscar nomination when it opened in 2012 and racked up $471 million worldwide. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” carries a hefty $175 million production budget, so it will need to be a global smash to make money.
MGM’s “Creed II,” the eighth installment in the “Rocky” film series, brings back Michael B. Jordan as Donnie, a pugilist looking to prove he’s worthy of his dad, Apollo Creed’s, name. The first “Creed” movie launched with $29 million over the three-day frame and went on to earn $109 million in North America. In addition to Jordan, “Creed II” brings back Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson, although director Ryan Coogler passed off filmmaking duties to Steven Caple Jr. Instead Coogler used his time away from the ring to shoot “Black Panther.” You may have seen it.