Moana 2 shattered Thanksgiving weekend records with a sky-high $225 million Wed-Sun debut, right alongside Wicked Part One’s equally impressive $118 million Wed-Sun *non-opening weekend*. Oh, and Gladiator II kept up with the competition, relatively speaking, as it showed that there’s room in the moviegoing marketplace for more than one — or even two — big-deal franchise-friendly mega-budget tentpoles. But, sorry Red One, definitely not four big-deal franchise-friendly mega-budget tentpoles.
Listen as Lisa Laman decries the extent to which Disney’s tentpole-focused strategy has overwhelmed Searchlight, Jeremy Fuster passionately explains why the Academy Awards both still matter and are more important than any other awards show, while Scott Mendelson notes that the dual success of both female-skewing, family-friendly musical fantasies shows that there are no more excuses for Hollywood to be shy about placing one major movie right alongside another one.
Meanwhile, we say a temporary farewell to one of our co-hosts as we essentially killed off a major character in one of the year’s final episodes. Fear not, it’s of his own volition, and it’s less Halloween Ends and more Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Surely nobody could have survived that fall, explosion, tidal wave or being chopped in half by a laser sword before drifting down a bottomless gorge, right?
Jeremy Fuster offered an update on plans and attempts to expand the film production tax credit for the state of California.
Lisa Laman asked why a year filled with high-profile films (including Babygirl, A Family Affair, The Idea of You, and Lonely Planet) involving older women engaging in sexcapades does not have room for such adventures for older lesbians.
Ryan Scott’s “Tales from the Box Office” notes the 35th anniversary of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which astonishingly still remains the top-grossing Christmas-focused movie ($71 million domestic sans reissues) actually released in the month of December.
And Scott Mendelson marks the fourth Thanksgiving since The Croods: A New Age (which topped with $14 million amid a $20 million cumulative Wed-Sun holiday frame) to declare that the COVID-era theatrical recovery is over.
As always, if you like what you hear, like, share, comment, and smash (using a cartoon mallet) that subscribe button with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you want to bother us and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or offer ideas for bonus episodes, ping us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com.
Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap
Lisa Laman - Looper, Cultress, Comic Book and Autostraddle
Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria
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