'Frozen 2' holds top spot at N.American box office

Disney blockbuster "Frozen 2" held top spot at the North American box office over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, taking in an estimated $85.2 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.

The animation adventure movie follows beloved characters from 2013 hit "Frozen" as they travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest in search of the origin of the magical ice powers of Queen Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel).

"Frozen 2," which came out just in time for the winter holidays, secured $123.7 million over the five-day holiday period from Wednesday to Sunday.

It was a Thanksgiving record, beating "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in 2013, according to Variety.

"Frozen 2" had pulled in a three-day total of $130.2 million the previous weekend when it was a new release -- the third-best start for an animated film behind fellow Disney titles "Incredibles 2" (2018) and "Finding Dory" (2016).

"Knives Out," a murder mystery from Lionsgate starring Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis and Chris Evans, made a surprise $27 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period, and has been immediately hailed as a triumph for its original content at multiplexes.

"Ford v. Ferrari" slipped to third place with $13.2 million. The Fox film is based on the true story of how a team at Ford built a car to challenge Ferrari's longtime dominance of France's classic 24-hour Le Mans race.

Sony release "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," a drama about a journalist's relationship with beloved television star Fred Rogers (played by Tom Hanks), took fourth place with $11.8 million.

New Universal release "Queen and Slim," a romantic drama starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, also performed above expectations to earn fifth spot with $11.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"21 Bridges" ($5.8 million)

"Playing with Fire" ($4.2 million)

"Midway" ($3.9 million)

"Joker" ($2 million)

"Last Christmas" ($1.9 million)

Los Angeles, United States | AFP