‘Strange World’ and ‘Devotion’ Disappoint at Thanksgiving Box Office

Strange World and Devotion (Disney and Sony)

Moviegoers largely left newcomers Strange World and Devotion off the menu at the Thanksgiving weekend box office, giving Black Panther: Wakanda Forever another win.

Marvel’s Wakanda Forever rang up an estimated $45.9 million since Friday and $64 million over the long five-day holiday weekend, bringing its three-week domestic total to $367.6 million, according to Comscore.

Disney’s animated Strange World, about a family of explorers known as the Clades, opened in a distant second place with $11.9 million over three days and $18.6 million since Wednesday. Those numbers marked one of the worst three-day openings ever for a Disney animated feature.

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Even with a star-studded voice cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu, the film failed to connect with ticket buyers.

Strange World made headlines for featuring Disney’s first openly gay animated lead — teenage hero Ethan Clade, voiced by comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White. Yet that attention didn’t translate into ticket sales. The film played in 4,174 locations for a per theater average of $2,851. With a reported budget of $180 million plus marketing costs, the feature is considered a flop.

Korean War aviation drama Devotion opened even worse. Sony’s presentation of the Black Label Media drama debuted in third place with $6 million between Friday and Sunday and $9 million over the five-day holiday period.

Based on a true story about the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, the film stars Jonathan Majors and Top Gun: Maverick actor Glen Powell. The drama received strong reviews from critics, earning a 79 percent positive score on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score on the site of 92 percent.

It played in 3405 locations for a per theater average of $1,762. With a reported budget of $90 million, it will be tough for Devotion to turn a profit.

Elsewhere at the box office, Searchlight Picture’s The Menu finished fourth after earning $5.2 million in three days and $7.3 million over the five-day period in its second weekend. Black Adam rounded out the top five with a three-day gross of $3.3 million and $4.5 million over five days.

The image above is courtesy of Disney and Sony.

Box Office Chart for November 27, 2022. (Credit: Comscore)


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About Anita Bennett

Anita Bennett is the editor and founder of Urban Hollywood 411. She can be reached on Twitter @tvanita.