Hunger Games wins the Thanksgiving weekend

“Mockingjay, Part 2” topped this weekend’s box office, defeating three newcomers with an estimated $75.8 million.

Family audiences during the extended Thanksgiving weekend didn’t give Walt Disney Co.’s latest Pixar flick “The Good Dinosaur” the push it needed to dethrone “The Hunger Games” finale.

That being said, Pixar and Disney have nothing to worry about here, as the strong word of mouth will play well into strong holds throughout the holiday season.

It made $102 million the first weekend, but that was below the take of the first two movies in the franchise, perhaps signaling waning interest in the Hunger Games. Thanksgiving weekend 30 years ago was ruled by the record opening of Rocky IV which featured the death of Apollo Creed (spoiler alert!) Now, that character’s son is hoping to reach the highest gross ever in franchise history.

“The Good Dinosaur” producer Denise Ream had earlier said in interviews that movies like “Inside Out” and “The Good Dinosaur” represent the new generation of Pixar/Disney films movie watchers had shown eagerness to see on the big screen. The final installment in the Hunger Games series grossed $51.6 million domestically, bringing its total gross to $198.3 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The romance about two lesbians pushing against conformity in the 1950s made $203,000 from four theaters over five days. Sony’s raunchy comedy The Night Before followed with an estimated $8.2M dropping only 17% in its sophomore session.

While the film failed to match the box office or critical success of Pixar’s last offering, Inside Out, it still found favour with the critics. That was an expected drop despite the weekend considering the lukewarm critical and audience reception.

Part 2 is still number one at the U.S. box office. The Oscar contender added $5.7 million to its $12 million haul after moving from 600 to 897 locations.

Spotlight continued its expansion and pushed its grosses higher as a result. “The Danish Girl” will begin expansion to more markets December 11. The monstrous success of Jurassic World ensured it remained in the top slot on June 21st, gobbling up $106.6 million on its second weekend in theaters.

James Bond film “Spectre“, with $12.8 million, and “The Peanuts Movie“, with $9.7 million, rounded out the top five. Coming in 2nd offshore was Ridley Scott’s The Martian for a global total of $545.1-M. The budget was $108 million. Part 1 minted $225.7 million at around the same point of time.

The MGM and New Line Cinema-financed “Creed” rounded out the weekend’s top three with $42.6 million.

“Mockingjay- Part 2” New York Premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 theater on November 18, 2015 in New York City.