The top animated movies at the US box office this year show that families haven't rushed back to theaters
Travis Clark
- Disney's "Encanto" is the highest-grossing animated film of the year domestically.
- But it has still underwhelmed at the box office.
Throughout 2021, movie theaters have lacked exclusive animated movies that would normally boost the box office. That's hurt this year as the US theatrical industry slowly recovers from the pandemic.
In 2019, Disney's "Frozen II" earned $477 million in the US and Pixar's "Toy Story 4" made $434 million. "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" made $160 million domestically. "The Lego Movie 2" grossed $105 million.
No animated movie this year has come close to that.
Movies like "The Boss Baby: Family Business" and "Paw Patrol: The Movie" have debuted simultaneously on streaming services like NBCUniversal's Peacock and ViacomCBS' Paramount+, respectively. Pixar's "Luca" premiered exclusively on Disney+ and "Raya and the Last Dragon" debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for an additional $30 fee.
So all eyes were on Disney's "Encanto" when it premiered only in theaters over the Thanksgiving holiday. After the success of Marvel's "Shang-Chi," which had an exclusive theatrical window, Disney announced its remaining 2021 releases would follow suit.
But the results have been underwhelming. It earned $40 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday and $27 million over that three-day weekend domestically. It's since grossed $60 million in the US and $120 million worldwide.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during a recent earnings call that he was watching the theatrical marketplace "very carefully" to see which demographics were showing up.
It's been young adults driving the biggest hits like "Shang-Chi" and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," not so much parents and young children.
With a $50 million budget, "Encanto" isn't a total flop. But it didn't do much to move the needle either, especially when it hasn't immensely outpaced simultaneous releases.
Below are the five highest grossing animated movies at the US box office of 2021:
5. "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train"
US box office: $47.7 million
Global box office: $453 million (the movie was first released in Japan in October 2020 and ultimately earned $364 million there)
US release: in theaters April 23 (currently streaming on Crunchyroll)
Description: "Tanjiro and the group have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, and they arrive to their next mission on the Mugen Train, where over 40 people have disappeared in a very short period of time. Tanjiro and Nezuko, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join one of the most powerful swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, to face the demon aboard the Mugen Train on track to despair."
4. "Raya and the Last Dragon"
US box office: $54.7 million
Global box office: $130.3 million
US release: in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access March 5 (currently streaming on Disney+ for no additional fee to subscribers)
Description: "'Raya and the Last Dragon' takes us on an exciting, epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than a dragon to save the world — it's going to take trust and teamwork as well."
3. "Addams Family 2"
US box office: $56.5 million
Global box office: $107.2 million
US release: in theaters October 1
Description: "The first family of Halloween, the Addams Family, is back on the big screen in the first animated comedy about the kookiest family on the block. Funny, outlandish, and completely iconic, the Addams Family redefines what it means to be a good neighbor."
2. "The Boss Baby: Family Business"
US box office: $57.3 million
Global box office: $142.7 million
US release: in theaters and on Peacock July 2
Description: "In the sequel to DreamWorks Animation's Oscar-nominated blockbuster comedy, the Templeton brothers —Tim (James Marsden) and his Boss Baby little bro Ted (Alec Baldwin) — have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married stay-at-home dad. Ted is a hedge fund CEO. But a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude is about to bring them together again … and inspire a new family business."
1. "Encanto"
US box office (so far): $60.3 million
Global box office (so far): $119.3 million
US release: in theaters November 24 for at least 45 days before streaming on Disney+
Description: "Walt Disney Animation Studios' 'Encanto,' is the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto."
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