Disney’s latest picture, Encanto — from directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush — hit theaters this past Thanksgiving week, on Nov. 24, 2021. 

The film was written and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith. Bush also worked on the screenplay.

During its opening weekend, Encanto attracted the attention of many, and even broke some box office records in Colombia.

In its second weekend, Encanto saw a 54% drop in attendance. The film had reached a $57.6 million domestic growth by this past weekend.

A decrease in theater attendance of this margin is somewhat typical for Thanksgiving week Disney releases. 

In 2016, Moana saw a 50% drop while the following year’s Coco saw a 45% drop by its second weekend. Both films were released for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Despite this, Encanto performed at the top of the box office among its challengers during its second weekend in theaters.

Alongside Encanto’s lower pull this weekend, an overall low for movie theater attendance this season has been noted after Thanksgiving week releases.

This drop in theater attendance could be attributed both to worries surrounding the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, or trends in movie theater releases.

This past weekend, the lack of new releases had a likely impact on lower overall attendance. Encanto was not met with notable box office challengers or newcomers in its second week. 

With new releases now slowing, major studio pictures planned for this Holiday season are expected to alter attendance. 

Major studio releases predicted to spur an uptick in movie theater attendance include Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man finale and the upcoming Matrix sequel, both releasing this December.

Encanto stars Stephanie Beatriz and John Leguizamo among others. The film also features original music from Lin-Manuel Miranda.