By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report

The box office went unseasonal as Moana ascended to the top of the charts with an estimated $55.6 million debut for the three-day portion of the Thanksgiving holiday. Three other wide releases made the turkey trot debut, with OK response for the World War II espionage thriller Allied, which grossed $12.7 million. Bad Santa 2 had a paucity of Christmas cheer with a $6 million bow and Howard Hughes-inspired Rules Don’t Apply was decidedly elusive with a $1.6 million tally.

Exclusive incomers saw good initial response for the emotionally charge Lion of $123,000 at four sites and a $62,400 opener for the politically resonant Miss Sloane on three screens. The session also featured continued slow roll outs for Loving, Manchester By the Sea and Nocturnal Animals that maintained their respective awards momentum.

Among foreign-language day-and-date releases, Bollywood served up the Hindi Dear Zindagi with an excellent $1 million box office ($5 million in India), while Telugu Jayammu Nischayammu Raa pancaked with a grim $12,600 gross. The latest Filipino romcom, The Unmarried Wife, was on solid footing with a $240,000 launch.

Weekend revenues inched toward $190 million and flipped up 14% from seven days earlier. Box office was flat with 2015 when the second weekend of The Hunger Games finale led with $52 million and freshmen The Good Dinosaur and Creed followed with $39.1 million and $29.6 million.

Domestic box office surpassed the $10 billion benchmark on Thursday. In 2015 that threshold was reached December 5.

Culling from Polynesian myth, Moana received upbeat critical response and got a headstart on the weekend with a two-day box office of $25.6 million. Applying the Disney formula to an unfamiliar cultural background seemed poignant for the current zeitgeist and hummable songs were an asset. The film was not overly distaff with studio exit polls identifying viewers as 55% female with 58% age 25 and younger. Roughly 72% identified as families.

The film also opened in 12 international territories to an estimated $16 million, with China supplying about $12 million of the total. The closest territory culturally to the material was Indonesia, with a $700,000 debut. On the domestic front, the movie over-indexed in Hawaii by 220%, per a studio spokesman.

Recalling the likes of Notorious and Casablanca, Allied was abetted by movie star chemistry in its launch (and yellow-sheet headlines). Its core crowd appeared to be TCM devotees with an audience that was 51% male with 85% aged 25 and older. It also debuted in 23 foreign climes (largely European) to about $9.4 million. The Free French said “oui” with $2.8 million and allied UK provided $1.6 million.

The Miramax library got dusted with the resurrection of the 2003 vintage Bad Santa going the update route. Apart from the cast, the original creative team was supplanted by newcomers and the critical response was they didn’t get the joke. Exit demos were unavailable at press deadline… ho, ho, ho.

Warren Beatty has toyed and struggled with a Howard Hughes movie back to the early 1970s (Warner Bros. announced a production start back in 1976). Rules Don’t Apply has the reclusive millionaire as a sidebar to a 1950s Hollywood romance and that proved out of step to contemporary audiences. Following on the abject rejection of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, the two films are vying for the ignominious title of 2016’s worst major talent missteps. Rules’ viewers were 55% female with 85% aged 25 and older.

Weekend (estimates) November 25 – 27, 2016
Title Distributor Gross (avg) % chng Thtrs Cume
Moana BV 55.6 (14,350) NEW 3875 81.2
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them WB 45.2 (10,900) -39% 4144 156.3
Doctor Strange BV 13.4 (4,460) -25% 3008 205.1
Allied Par 12.7 (4,020) NEW 3160 17.7
Arrival Par 11.2 (4,580) -8% 2442 62.3
Trolls Fox 10.4 (3,120) -41% 3322 135.2
Bad Santa 2 Broad Green 6.0 (2,060) NEW 2920 8.9
Hacksaw Ridge Lionsgate/ Elevation 5.4 (2,330) -19% 2332 52.2
Almost Christmas Uni 5.7 (3,210) -21% 1769 34.8
The Edge of Seventeen STX/VVS 2.9 (1,510) -38% 1945 10.3
Loving Focus 1.7 (3.970) 92% 421 4
Rules Don’t Apply Fox 1.6 (660) NEW 2382 2.1
Moonlight A24 1.3 (2,060) -15% 618 8.6
Manchester By the Sea Roadside Attractions 1.2 (25,620) 380% 48 1.6
The Accountant WB 1.1 (1,940) -50% 556 83.3
Dear Zindagi Big Pitures 1.0 (6,730) NEW 153 1.4
Bleed for This Open Road .89 (570) -62% 1549 4.2
Nocturnal Animals Focus .81 (6,380) 64% 127 1.7
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Par .36 (1,050) -64% 345 57.4
Boo! A Medea Halloween Lionsgate .35 (1,030) -69% 339 72.8
The Eagle Huntress Sony Classics .26 (4,110) 44% 64 0.91
The Unmarried Wife ABS .24 (4,740) NEW 51 0.24
Shut In Europa/VVS .23 (840) -85% 277 6.7
The Girl on the Train Uni .22 (1,190) -62% 187 74.9
The Secret Life of Pets Uni .21 (1,010) -8% 209 367.8
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $178.10
% Change (Last Year) 0%
% Change (Last Week) 14%
Also debuting/expanding
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk Sony .19 (160) -79% 1176 1.6
Lion Weinstein Co. .12 (30,770) 4 0.12
A Man Called Ove Music Box .12 (1,450) -52% 81 3.1
Elle Sony Classics .12 (3,330) -5% 36 0.4
The Handmaiden Magnolia 78,500 (1,450) -42% 54 1.6
I Am Not Madame Bovary Well Go 72,200 (2,670) -60% 27 0.36
Miss Sloane Europa 62,400 (20,800) 3 0.06
Seasons Music Box 37,500 (2,880) 13 0.04
Jayammu Nischayammu Raa Sakhti Ent. 12,600 (310) 41 0.01
Always Shine Osilloscope 4,900 (2,450) 2 0.01
Mifune: The Last Samurai Strand 4,200 (4,200) 1 0.01
Evolution IFC 3,700 (1,850) 2 0.01
Domestic Market Share (January 1 – November 24, 2016)
Distributor (releases) Box Office Market Share
Buena Vista (15) 2367.5 23.70%
Warner Bros. (23) 1738.5 17.40%
20th Century Fox (22) 1373 13.70%
Universal (19) 1239.2 12.40%
Sony (24) 854.3 8.60%
Paramount (15) 718.1 7.20%
Lionsgate (26) 550.4 5.50%
Focus (12) 185.7 1.90%
STX (6) 171.1 1.70%
Open Road (7) 95.1 0.95%
Weinstein Co. (9) 59.6 0.60%
A24 (11) 56.2 0.55%
Other * (372) 580.6 5.80%
9989.3 100.00%
* none greater than 0.45%
Top Limited Releases (January 1 – November 24, 2016)
Title Distributor Box Office
Eye in the Sky Bleecker/eOne 18,704,595
Hello, My Name is Doris Roadside Attractions 14,444,999
Love & Friendship Roadside Attractions 14,016,568
Hillary’s America D’Souza Media 13,099,931
The Light Between Oceans BV 12,581,941
No Manhes Frida Lionsgate 11,578,242
Café Society Lionsgate/Mongrel 11,185,091
The Lady in the Van Sony Classics 10,021,175
The Lobster A24/Mongrel 9,151,790
Catol * Weinstein Co. 8,910,357
Queen of Katwe BV 8,709,834
A Beautiful Planet Imax 7,478,136
Moonlight A24/Elevation 6,985,105
The Danish Girl * Focus 6,607,578
Southside with You Roadside Attractions 6,304,223
Sultan Yash Raj 6,197,181
Captain Fantastic Bleecker Street/eOne 5,878,408
Hunt for the Wilderpeople Orchard 5,205,471
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Fox Searchlight 4,761,241
Kabali CineGalaxy 4,677,244
* Does not include 2015 box office
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Leonard Klady's Friday Estimates
Friday Screens % Chg Cume
Title Gross Thtr % Chgn Cume
Venom 33 4250 NEW 33
A Star is Born 15.7 3686 NEW 15.7
Smallfoot 3.5 4131 -46% 31.3
Night School 3.5 3019 -63% 37.9
The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls 1.8 3463 -43% 49.5
A Simple Favor 1 2408 -50% 46.6
The Nun 0.75 2264 -52% 111.5
Hell Fest 0.6 2297 -70% 7.4
Crazy Rich Asians 0.6 1466 -51% 167.6
The Predator 0.25 1643 -77% 49.3
Also Debuting
The Hate U Give 0.17 36
Shine 85,600 609
Exes Baggage 75,900 62
NOTA 71,300 138
96 61,600 62
Andhadhun 55,000 54
Afsar 45,400 33
Project Gutenberg 36,000 17
Love Yatri 22,300 41
Hello, Mrs. Money 22,200 37
Studio 54 5,300 1
Loving Pablo 4,200 15
3-Day Estimates Weekend % Chg Cume
No Good Dead 24.4 (11,230) NEW 24.4
Dolphin Tale 2 16.6 (4,540) NEW 16.6
Guardians of the Galaxy 7.9 (2,550) -23% 305.8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.8 (1,630) -26% 181.1
The Drop 4.4 (5,480) NEW 4.4
Let's Be Cops 4.3 (1,570) -22% 73
If I Stay 4.0 (1,320) -28% 44.9
The November Man 2.8 (1,030) -36% 22.5
The Giver 2.5 (1,120) -26% 41.2
The Hundred-Foot Journey 2.5 (1,270) -21% 49.4