Thanksgiving is fast approaching and that means travel, food, and time with friends and family. It’s also a good time to go to the movies, as Hollywood tends to release some major films around the holiday either the week before or the day before Thanksgiving. This is to take advantage of the five-day weekend that people have for the holiday, and with so many people gathered together and needing something to do in their downtime going to the movies is a good family experience (or a good chance to get away from some more unpleasant relatives). There tends to be something for everybody over the holiday weekend.

Certain franchises and types of films like Disney animated films and YA novel adaptations tend to perform the best over the Thanksgiving holiday and have been the most in demand for the past few years. Before the release of Strange World and The Fabelmans, as well as the second weekend of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, look back on the ten highest-grossing films over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend.

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10 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

     Lionsgate

The final entry in the Hunger Games franchise (until the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in November 2023), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 opened the week prior on November 20th. During the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, it grossed $75 million beating out new Thanksgiving Day releases like The Good Dinosaur and Creed. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 underperformed at the box office compared to its predecessors, but it did at least get to finish its series, unlike some other YA novel adaptations.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 Toy Story 2

     Walt Disney Studios

Toy Story was a phenomenon when it was released during Thanksgiving weekend in 1995, so Disney set Toy Story 2 for Thanksgiving weekend in 1999. Toy Story 2 opened on November 24, 1999, and over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend grossed $80 million. Toy Story 2 went on to hold the number one spot at the box office for three weeks straight and finished its run with $245 domestic and was the third highest-grossing movie domestically of 1999 behind only Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and The Sixth Sense.

8 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

     Warner Bros.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened in theaters the week prior to Thanksgiving and was still going strong in its second weekend bringing in $81 million over the five-day holiday. The movie beat out the weekend’s new releases: Just Friends, Yours, Mines and Ours, and Rent which was directed by previous Harry Potter filmmaker Chris Columbus.

While the Harry Potter movies were always moneymakers at the box office, there had been a notable decrease between the first two films and the third entry Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban which had moved to a summer release date. Not only did bringing Harry Potter back to November see Goblet of Fire gross $290 domestic but with a worldwide gross of $895 million made it the highest-grossing movie of 2005 beating out Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

7 Moana

     Walt Disney Studios 

Disney Animation has had great success releasing movies over the Thanksgiving weekend, and in 2016 Moana was just what audiences were looking for. Moana opened in theaters on Wednesday, November 23, 2016, and brought in $82 million in the first five days. Like many of the films on this list, Moana was the number one movie at the box office for the following two weeks and finished its run with $248 million domestic and $643 million worldwide.

6 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

At the time of its release, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone held the record for the biggest opening weekend of all time with $90 million dollars. It opened the week before Thanksgiving so when the five-day holiday weekend came, audiences were still coming out in droves to see the boy who lived. In its second weekend during the five-day holiday weekend, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone brought in $82.3 million.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone would go on to gross $317 million domestically and $974 million worldwide and was the highest-grossing movie of 2001.

5 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 opened in theaters on November 21, 2014, a week before the Thanksgiving holiday. For its second weekend, it dominated the box office with $82.6 million and beat out new releases The Penguins of Madagascar and Horrible Bosses 2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 grossed $337 million domestically becoming the second highest-grossing movie of 2014 behind American Snipper. Worldwide it grossed $755 million and was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2014 worldwide.

4 Ralph Breaks the Internet

Six afters after the release of Wreck-It Ralph, the sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet opened in theaters on Thanksgiving weekend in 2018. The movie grossed $84 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday and beat out the other new Thanksgiving weekend release Creed 2 (which took the number two spot with $56 million).

Ralph Breaks the Internet grossed $201 million domestically and to show how stacked that year was with hits, Ralph Breaks the Internet didn’t crack the top 10 of 2018.

3 Frozen

Frozen was a massive hit in 2013. Nobody could have expected the movie to become the cultural sensation it became, but something about the movie drove audiences out on its opening weekend. Frozen opened in theaters on November 27, 2013, and in its first five days grossed $97 million. Frozen went on to gross $400 million domestically and was the third highest-grossing movie of 2013. With a $1.2 billion worldwide total, it became the highest-grossing movie of 2013 at the worldwide box office.

What is notable is that while Frozen is still the highest-grossing opening weekend for a movie on the weekend of Thanksgiving, it still came in number two at the box office when it opened. It did later claim the number one spot the following weekend and then once more for the first weekend of January 2014. The film that beat Frozen in its opening weekend is the next film on the list.

2 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was building off the strong box office and audience response to the first film. It opened in theaters on November 22, 2013, and grossed $158 million in its opening weekend which until the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the biggest opening weekend for the month of November. In its second weekend in a box office battle of ice and fire, Catching Fire held off Frozen to keep its number one spot at the box office. Over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire grossed $109 million.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire went on to become the highest-grossing movie in the franchise and became the highest-grossing movie of 2013 domestically with $424 million.

1 Frozen II

Following the massive success of Frozen, anticipation was high for Frozen II. It got a head start by opening the week prior to Thanksgiving on November 22 to a massive $130 million opening weekend. During the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, Frozen II grossed $125 million, just five million less than its opening weekend. Frozen II easily held the number one spot with second place going to the brand-new release that weekend, Knives Out (which grossed an impressive $41 million).

Frozen II remained number one the weekend following Thanksgiving and went on to gross $477 million domestically and $1.4 billion worldwide. In a year full of massive hits, Frozen II was the fourth highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office and the third worldwide in 2019. With both Frozen and Frozen II holding separate Thanksgiving weekend records, it is only a matter of time before Disney sets Frozen IIIfor a future Thanksgiving.