Disney’s hand-animated “The Princess and the Frog” got off to a solid wide-release start Friday, earning $7.2 million at the box office to claim a convincing victory.
Though the take is notably below that of many recent 3D-animated films, “Frog” should still end up a strong performer for Disney. Matinee business on Saturday will fuel the film to a strong opening weekend, and good reviews should mean sturdy legs at the holiday box office.
By comparison, 1990s films “Hercules” and “Mulan,” which had similar first days, ended their domestic box office runs with $99.1 million and $120.6 million, respectively. Their wide opening weekend takes were $21.5 million and $22.7 million, respectively.
Second place will belong to “The Blind Side,” which continues to show box office strength. The well-reviewed film added $4.7 million to its gross Friday.
New release “Invictus” kicked its box office cycle off with $2.9 million Friday. While not particularly poor for a Clint Eastwood-helmed release (“Mystic River” and “Million Dollar Baby” earned $3.3 million and $3.4 million, respectively, in their openings), the film is nonetheless not lighting the world on fire, especially given the overall lack of fierce box office competition this weekend. Sans “Gran Torino,” which opened to very strong numbers, Eastwood’s recent fare tends to make its real impact via longevity–for “Invictus” to become even a mild hit, it too will need impressive legs.
Also in the top five friday were “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” ($2.4 million) and “A Christmas Carol” ($1.7 million).