Disney's Encanto Leads Thanksgiving Box Office
After a mild opening day on Wednesday, Disney's latest animated feature, Encanto, managed to be the top earner of Thanksgiving Day. The new film follows the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live in the wondrous, charmed titular place. According to a press release, within the movie, "each child has been blessed with a magic gift unique to them – each child except Mirabel. But when the family's home is threatened, Mirabel may be their only hope." According to Variety, the film earned $5.8 million on Thursday, bringing its box office total to $13.3 million.
Unfortunately, these numbers are fairly low for the holiday weekend, proving that the pandemic is still playing a part in ticket sales. However, House of Gucci is having some success this week when compared to previous adult dramas of the pandemic. The movie earned $3.5 million on Thanksgiving, bringing its total to $7.6 million during its first two days in theaters. This is a big step up from Ridley Scott's other recent adult drama, The Last Duel, which only earned $1,872,753 on its open day and $10,764,628 overall at the domestic box office.
As for Encanto, Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, In the Heights) voices Mirabel in the film, joined by María Cecilia Botero as Mirabel's grandmother Alma aka Abuela; Angie Cepeda and Wilmer Valderrama as Mirabel's parents, Julieta and Agustín; and Diane Guererro and Jessica Darrow as Mirabel's sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Others in the voice cast include Carolina Gaitán and Mauro Castillo as Mirabel's aunt and uncle, Pepa and Félix; and Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz and Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Mirabel's cousins Dolores, Camilo and Antonio, respectively. John Leguizamo is also in the film as Uncle Bruno.
"Mirabel is a really funny, loving character who also deeply yearns for something more," Beatriz said in a statement. "She's also not afraid to stand up for what she knows is right — something I love and relate to very much."
"I'm Colombian on my father's side, and playing this role fills me with immense pride," Beatriz continued. "As a Disney kid, I'd burn through my VHS tapes and adored every single magical story that the world of Disney introduced me to. I learned in those that stories that anything is possible, especially if you believe in magic and the goodness rooted deep inside us all."
The film was directed by Byron Howard (Zootopia, Tangled) and Jared Bush (Zootopia), with Charise Castro Smith (The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez) serving as co-director. Bush co-wrote the screenplay with Castro Smith and the duo of Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino produce. Encanto features brand new songs written by Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda. The song featured in the trailer, "Columbia, Mi Encanto," is performed by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and actor Carlos Vives.
Encanto and House of Gucci are now playing in theaters.