Thanksgiving weekend has a dead heat on its hands. Focker In-Law and Disney’s Hexed, which both open on Wednesday, November 25, are each tracking toward $40 million to $50 million over the five-day holiday stretch, according to Deadline — an identical range that makes this one of the tightest Thanksgiving matchups in years, with two very different films going after the same crowds.
BoxOffice Pro is more bullish on both films, and on Hexed in particular: it puts the Disney animation at $35 million to $45 million over three days and $50 million to $70 million over five, which would beat the last three original Disney animated films to open on Thanksgiving weekend — Encanto, Strange World and Wish. It puts Focker In-Law at $30 million to $40 million over three days and $45 million to $65 million over five. Box Office Theory is cooler on both, with a $30 million three-day pinpoint for Hexed and $36 million for Focker In-Law.
Where each film’s strength lies
The tracking details reveal where each film’s strength lies. For Hexed, women are the strongest group in first-choice interest, and Deadline says that figure is higher than for The Wild Robot, which opened to $35.8 million over three days, Elemental at $29.6 million and Elio at $20.8 million. Tickets have been on sale for two weeks, and the film is reportedly pacing ahead of the $40.5 million five-day Thanksgiving debut of Encanto.
Focker In-Law draws a broader crowd. Deadline says first-choice interest is strong with women over 25, women under 25 and men over 25, and overall first choice is ahead of Practical Magic 2, which opened to $30 million over three days, and Freakier Friday. Tickets went on sale this week and are pacing on par with expectations, according to Box Office Theory.
The films themselves
Hexed is Walt Disney Animation’s 65th feature and follows a teenage girl named Billie, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who discovers a talent for magic with her cautious mother Alice, voiced by Rashida Jones, along for the ride. Disney is betting on an original story instead of a sequel.
Focker In-Law reunites Ben Stiller as Greg Focker and Robert De Niro as Jack Byrnes, with Teri Polo, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson also returning, and Ariana Grande joining the franchise for the first time. The headline projections still sit below the monster numbers of recent Thanksgivings: Deadline notes that 2024 was the biggest Thanksgiving ever at the box office, with all titles grossing $424.9 million from Wednesday through Sunday, while last year ranked fifth at $290.3 million. And looming over both films is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, in its second weekend with what Deadline calls “volcanic hot” presales. For now, the dead heat in the tracking numbers is the story — and the final result will depend on which film families choose to see first.
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