“Big Hero 6” Wins Weekend Box Office Over “Interstellar”

Both movies come out with success.

Two big-budget movies squared off over the weekend, and both seem to have mounted a good showing for each studio.

Walt Disney‘s animated “Big Hero 6” edged out Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” space film — with both posting solid gains over the weekend to put them in position for success prior to the build up of the holiday season.
 
“Big Hero 6,” based on a little known Marvel comic about a teenage inventor and his robot, primarily attracted families and opened to $56.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates. “Interstellar,” which drew an adult crowd from the Paramount Pictures release took in $50 million for the three day weekend.


Executives at studios behind both movies said they plan to continue significant marketing campaigns in the weeks to come, hoping their films will play at least through Thanksgiving.
“Some movies you open and then you move on to the next one,” said Megan Colligan, president of world-wide distribution and marketing for Paramount. “With [‘Interstellar’], every single weekend is like opening it again.”

Nolan’s science-fiction movie starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway opened with a lower run than his previous original movie, “Inception,” which took in $62.8 million on its way to a $292.6 million run.

“Big Hero 6” took in less than last year’s hit feature film “Frozen,” but is still likely to end with a good run for Walt Disney studios.  “Frozen” took in 67.4 million over its opening weekend and grossed over $401 million domestically.  “Big Hero 6” hasn’t opened in most major foreign markets — which should give it a push to continue the string of success Disney has enjoyed with its animated films.

“The first thing we had to do to be successful was open this movie really big against a formidable challenger, and we did that,” said Disney distribution president Dave Hollis.

The final Box Office Numbers for the weekend Nov. 7-9 are expected to be released on Monday.