Coco Dazzles Thanksgiving Audiences On Way to $70 Million Opening

Disney and Pixar's Coco easily won the Black Friday box-office race with $18.6 million from 3,987 theaters for a projected five-day Thanksgiving debut of $70 million. Coco, a beautifully crafted homage to the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday (Dia de los Muertos), has been lauded by critics and audiences alike, earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore. Directed by Lee Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina, Coco tells the story of 12-year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who sets out to become an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). The trouble is, his family has banned music for generations. Miguel suddenly finds himself in the magical Land of the Dead, where he teams up with the trickster Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) in hopes of unlocking the secret behind his family history.

PageBreaks Take: Given the strong word of mouth, look for Coco to enjoy a successful run right through awards season. The film is already the number one grossing movie of all time in Mexico and early international returns have been excellent, including a stellar opening weekend in China.

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