“Lincoln” and “Life of Pi” had strong Oscar credentials coming in to their debuts, but neither was considered much of a force at the box-office. Now they are.
With its stronger-than-expected $34 million Thanksgiving weekend haul, “Lincoln” has grossed $62 million and exceeded analysts' box office expectations since debuting on 11 screens three weeks ago. Distributor Disney expanded the DreamWorks historical drama into 1,775 theaters in its second week and then 2,018 theaters for Thanksgiving. Its per-screen average was an impressive $11,859 two weeks ago and an even-better $12,398 over the holiday weekend.
"The 19 percent uptick this weekend should be a clear signal that Spielberg’s biopic is being viewed by moviegoers as a legitimate candidate for Best Picture," Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations told TheWrap.