Twitter:@TomAndJerry
"Tom & Jerry” led North America’s box office this weekend with $13.7 million in opening sales, the second-best debut since the pandemic began and the largest this year.
The Warner Bros. remake of the classic cartoon caper took in $33.1 million globally this weekend, according to industry researcher Comscore Inc., with China its second-largest market.
Kid-friendly movies have performed well during the pandemic as families favor lighter fare. "Wonder Women 1984,” also by Warner Bros. and geared toward a young audience, had the best weekend opening during the pandemic with $16.7 million. Universal’s "The Croods: A New Age,” which came out around Thanksgiving Day, is now No. 3.
"Tom & Jerry” was released simultaneously on HBO Max in the U.S. for a month. It follows AT&T’s Warner Bros.’ plan to put all of its 2021 movies online the same day they open in cinemas, a strategy that drew the ire of theater chains already starved of new titles and strained by Covid-related capacity restrictions. Prior to the pandemic, theaters usually had as long as three months of exclusive rights to new movies.
About 42% of theaters in North America have reopened, according to Comscore. New York City, a major film market, is set to reopen movie theaters at 25% capacity on Friday. Warner Bros. said it saw "an enormous boost” for
"Tom & Jerry” from private theater rental bookings, a new offering by cinemas to attract audiences to return in their own private bubbles.
AMC Entertainment and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema have both introduced private screenings during the pandemic.
