‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Just Did the Impossible
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas turned 30 years old in October.
The beloved movie is somehow more popular today than it was in 1993, and we’ve got more proof.
Yes, The Nightmare Before Christmas just did the impossible. Let’s talk about a remarkable achievement.
Taylor Swift, Martin Scorsese, and…Jack Skellington?
Have you paid attention to the box office lately?
For Disney fans, this subject has proven touchy in 2023, as blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been counterbalanced by failures.
For every hit like Elemental or The Little Mermaid, there’s been a disappointment/disaster like Haunted Mansion or Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Still, the one thing Disney can count on is fan loyalty toward its holiday classics.
For the past two years, Disney+ has tracked significant interest in films like Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Hocus Pocus 2.
The Sanderson Sisters sequel actually shattered records for streaming movies on the Nielsen charts.
At the time, critics bemoaned Disney’s decision to skip theatrical release for Hocus Pocus 2, believing Disney classics will do well during Halloween season.
In 2023, Disney took that belief for a test spin…but not in the way anyone expected.
This past weekend, The Nightmare Before Christmas returned to movie theaters for the second time since 2008. And the results were staggering.
Tim Burton’s masterpiece finished in fifth place in theaters with a weekend total of just under $4.3 million.
To put that into perspective, the top two films this weekend were Taylor Swift’s concert film and Killers of the Flower Moon, the Martin Scorsese opus.
The Nightmare Before Christmas only missed third place by less than $1.5 million!
Yes, a 30-year-old film nearly did as well as The Exorcist: Believer and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, two films released in the last month.
A film that came out before Amazon existed or Steve Jobs had returned to Apple nearly beat them both!
After 30 years, its box office appeal has proven as strong as ever.
The Odd Box Office History of Jack Skellington
Fittingly enough, the box office history of this Tim Burton movie is quite odd.
Over the weekend, the film earned $4,292,207 from 1,650 theaters.
That’s the best box office weekend for The Nightmare Before Christmas in 16 years!
When the film debuted in 1993, it opened to a modest $6.2 million before expanding to $8.4 million the following weekend, its best performance to date.
Yes, one of your favorite Disney films has never grossed $10 million in a box office weekend.
In fact, during its entire theatrical run, The Nightmare Before Christmas managed only a modest $45.7 million.
However, Disney re-released it in theaters in *deep breath* 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2020, and now 2023.
Each time, our adoration for the story of Jack and Sally has elevated the film a bit more.
As of today, the film’s box office has swelled to $81.6 million. Yes, it has earned nearly as much during re-releases, $35.9 million, as during its original theatrical run.
Disney’s New Plan
This past weekend reinforces something Disney realized during the pandemic.
When theaters lacked any new content, Disney re-released several catalog titles, most notably Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
They found an audience of happy fans who wanted to watch their favorites in theaters.
At the time, I suggested that Disney should adopt this approach during slow times at the box office.
Since film exhibitors were livid with Disney at the time, the odds seemed low then. But cooler heads have eventually prevailed.
Disney had only announced The Nightmare Before Christmas as a one-week re-release to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
I strongly suspect that we’ll see the film again next October, though. It’s done too well to ignore.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!