What a time to be alive for theatrical moviegoing. During the pandemic, and as theaters struggled to recover in its aftermath, there were so many doom-and-gloom headlines about how the theatrical experience was dead. While things did look a little dire for a bit, the theater business has steadily been getting back to normal – and no sign is better than what’s happening today. AsMoana 2,Wicked,andGladiator IIare packingmovie theaterswith sold-out screenings, AMC Theatres is having issues keeping up with the demand.
Varioussocial mediausers are sharing their queue times on the AMC Theatres website or app to buy movie tickets, with some of them seeing wait times of 13 minutes or more. The apparent reason for the longer-than-normal wait times is because of the robust moviegoing this week for the Thanksgiving Day holiday frame.Moana 2posted huge numbers on Wednesday and pulled in thebest-ever Thanksgiving Day grossyesterday, whileWickedandGladiator IIare also seeing stellar business. AMC Theatres hasn’t commented on this directly, and users aren’t complaining about the wait, either. If anything, everyone is excited about seeing movie theaters booked and busy.
Global Box Officeposted about the weekend box office, noting thatWickedin particular is tracking for a potential Friday gross of $30 million, and that the main issue with the film is not demand, which is there, but capacity. They’re seeing numerous sold-out showings for the film and neither Universal Pictures nor AMC Theatres are adding more showtimes as of this writing. One has to wonder if that will change throughout the weekend because these same problems are bound to be happening withMoana 2, which is doing even bigger business.
The Movies Are Bringing People Back to Theaters
What’s sparking the big movie push? Well, it’s Friday, and not just a typical Friday, but a Friday on a holiday weekend. Adults are off work and kids are out of school, so going to the movies is the perfect activity for groups and families on a day like this. There is also something for everyone out there right now, with pretty much every demographic targeted by the latest releases. No one has been excluded from this solid wave of box-office success, and it has truly been amazing to see.
‘Moana 2’ Shatters Thanksgiving Box Office Records
After a record-breaking showing in early previews, the Disney sequel destroyed
It’s been exciting to watch as each film plays to its specific audience this week.Moana 2beganbreaking recordsin early previews on Tuesday and hasn’t let up since, seemingly breaking a new record each day.Wickedhas been posting solid business after its record-breaking opening last weekend, proving that fans of the musical and the uninitiated alike are driving the film to greater numbers. In the case ofGladiator II, you have a sequel to a historical epic released in 2000 that caters to an older audience, pulling consistent numbers. The sequel was the only film to have a minor uptick on Thanksgiving Day, while the other movies posted small declines.
Today alone,Moana 2,Wicked,andGladiator IIare expected to send Black Friday to a record $100 million+, per Deadline. Even as AMC Theatres is getting the queue situation under control, this is shaping up to be the best post-Thanksgiving Day Friday since 2013, whenThe Hunger Games: Catching Fireruled the box office. At a time when moviegoing could’ve used some good news, this is some of the best it has seen in quite a while.
