Retiring Guy's Digest: USA box office on 3rd weekend of November (2017-2023)

USA box office on the third weekend of November 2023 is up 13% compared to last year when "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was the top-grossing movie.

But it's down 44% compared to the 2019 peak when "Frozen II" was the top draw.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Headline: Variety, 11/19/2023

The Lionsgate film, which brings audiences back to the dystopia of Panem for the first time in nearly a decade, collected $44 million from 3,776 North American theaters and $98 million globally in its first weekend of release. Those initial ticket sales didn’t recapture the spark of the original franchise, which propelled Jennifer Lawerence to global stardom and inspired three sequels. But they were enough to win the weekend over three fellow newcomers, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s threequel “Trolls Band Together,” Sony’s gory thriller “Thanksgiving” and director Taika Waititi’s sports comedy “Next Goal Wins.”
With the glut of new offerings, ticket sales for Disney’s superhero sequel “The Marvels” cratered by 79% to land another ignominious record: the biggest second-weekend drop (by far) in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before this weekend, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” withstood the largest decline of the franchise with 69.9%.

Original 11/18/2023 post starts here

USA box office on Friday of the third weekend of November 2023 is up 34% compared to last year when "Black Panther: Wakanda

Forever" was the top-grossing movie.

But it's down 45% compared to the 2017 peak when "Justice League" was the top draw.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Headline: Variety, 11/18/2023

Franchise nostalgia doesn’t seemed to have reached reviews, with the critical response around this entry marking a series-low. Early audiences are more positive though not over the moon, as indicated by the “B+” grade through research firm Cinema Score. The “Hunger Games” prequel will need to sustain some buzz through the Thanksgiving holiday to prove the property can still draw a crowd.

[snip]

Meanwhile, “The Marvels” is facing a steep tumble in its second outing. The Marvel Studios production earned $2.8 million on Friday, down a staggering 87% from its opening day last week. It’ll be lucky to hit $10 million in its sophomore outing. Last spring’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” cinched the Marvel Cinematic Universe superlative for biggest second weekend plummet when it dropped 69.9%. Only a few months later, “The Marvels” seems likely to break that record.

More box office posts:

2023

2nd weekend of November. (11/12)

1st weekend of November. (11/5)

Fourth weekend of October. (10/30)

Third weekend of October. (10/22)

Second weekend of October. (10/15)

First weekend of October. (10/8)

Last weekend of September (10/2)

4th weekend of September. (9/25)

3rd weekend of September. (9/18)

2nd weekend of September (9/11)