The holiday season means a lot of things to a lot of people. While time with family and friends, giant meals, gifts, and celebrations are all part of the fun, the release of huge movies is also a major holiday happening.
Over the last several years, many films have performed well at the box office during the Thanksgiving-Christmas season. We’re here to look at the movies released during this time that scored huge at the box office during their opening weekends. To do this we’ll be using the Holiday Season stats from Box Office Mojo.
With the logistics out of the way, it’s time to grab out that popcorn and cozy ‘round the big screen; From exciting superhero stories to giant galactic adventures, here are the highest-grossing holiday weekend films of all time.
Thor: Ragnarok ($122 million)
This third installment in the Thor franchise had the titular hero being sent to the crazy planet of Sakaar where is forced to fight against his ally and friend Hulk (who doesn’t remember him) to the death. Meanwhile, the god of thunder’s long lost sister, Hela, is setting out to conquer Asgard. This has Thor trying to escape Sakaar and save the people of his homeland before its too late.
The superhero smash released in November sometime before Thanksgiving, scoring a strong $122 million box office opening.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ($125 million)
This 2010 Harry Potter film also released around Thanksgiving time. The franchise’s longtime fans flocked to the theaters, having the fantasy film take in over $125 million during its opening weekend.
This installment had Harry, Ron, and Hermione attempting to get rid of the Horcruxes, which help Voldemort remain immortal. With the Death Eaters having taken control of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, however, the gang must find a way to stay safe and prepare for a final battle.
Frozen II ($130 million)
Frozen II received a strong opening weekend, and it’s still sweeping up cash at the box office. In fact, Disney’s princess fairytale sequel scored over $130 million during its November opening.
Set three years after the original, Frozen II has Elsa and Anna journeying out of the kingdom of Arendelle and into a magical forest in order to figure out where Elsa’s snow powers came from. They are joined by Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and a few new friends along the way.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 ($138 million)
Next in line is the 2011 Twilight film based on the first part of Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.
The fantasy has Bella and Edward finally getting married, only to soon become pregnant with their first child. The wolves take notice; This has Bella and Edward setting out to keep themselves safe, and Jacob attempting to help them.
The film’s November release brought in $138 million during its first weekend.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 ($141 million)
The second Breaking Dawn film performed even better than the first, taking in $141 million at the box office during its opening weekend.
The story intensifies with Bella awakening as a vampire and introducing her daughter Renesmee to the world. Unfortunately, the Volturi are still after her and the Cullens must work hard to keep their family protected.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($142 million)
The Breaking Dawn films weren’t the only Twilight movies to score big at the box office. 2009’s New Moon, the second film in The Twilight Saga, scored $142 million during its opening weekend.
This story has Bella Swan trying to celebrate a happy 18th birthday, only to nearly get attacked by Edward’s vampire foster brother, Jasper, after smelling her blood. Edward realizes he is a danger to Bella, so he decides to leave her. This leads Bella to feel angry and depressed. As it turns out, their emotions are too strong to keep them apart forever.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($155 million)
This 2016 Star Wars spin-off tells of former scientist Galen Erso, who is ripped away from his wife and daughter, Jyn, only to become the engineer of the powerful Death Star. Jyn grows curious as the years go by, and eventually, she teams up with a spy to figure out the secrets behind the Death Star thereby serving the Rebel Alliance.
The galactic spectacular managed to pull in $155 million during its December opening weekend.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158 million)
The second film in The Hunger Games series, based on the popular book trilogy of the same name, had the newest victors of the violent games — Katniss and Peeta — living in the aftermath of the traumatic experience. With rebellion slowly rising, they are forced to head back into the arena after they are once again reaped for the Hunger Games along with the other past victors as part of a 75th anniversary celebration.
Debuting near Thanksgiving, the film saw $158 million during its opening weekend, with many fans of the original eagerly returning for the first sequel.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi ($220 million)
The sequel to The Force Awakens came out with a strong $220 million box office opening.
This 2017 installment had Luke Skywalker’s solitude becoming interrupted by Rey, who is showing signs of the Force. He decides to help her learn to control it, but they must move fast; Kylo Ren and General Hux are planning a giant attack on the Resistance.
The final installment in the trilogy, which comes directly after this one, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is set to debut this December. Its opening is likely to also smash records.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens ($247 million)
Topping off the list as the holiday film with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time is the 2015 Star Wars installment.
The Force Awakens tells of a scavenger, Rey, and a reformed stormtrooper, Finn, who set out to take on the galaxy’s newest threat thirty years after the fall of the Galactic Empire: The son of Leia and Han, Kylo Ren.
The film ultimately grossed over $2 billion at the box office, though this couldn’t have happened without a strong opening weekend worth $247 million.
