Box Office Receives Post Election Blues Bump

It was nothing like we have seen before. America's 2016 election divided the country in the most toxic of climates. And, in the wake of Donald Trump's win, THR explained that the local cinemas received a healthy increase in the aftermath. From Arrival to Trolls and Doctor Strange - people wanted to escape from the real world for a moment. And who can blame them?

Arrival Box Office

One quoted box office analyst said that some revenues jumped 50 percentage points higher than usual this time of the year. They argued that, "Two hours of moviegoing is like a massive, immersive group therapy session." With people from red, blue and purple states putting their differences aside to revel in the blockbusters on show.

Strange Stays Number 1 Despite Newcomers

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange

With a domestic total standing $153m tall, Benedict Cumberbatch's Marvel superhero flick built on an impressive start. The film climbed to $493m globally this weekend. Impressive! That keeps Doctor Strange as the heavyweight and undisputed champion right now, helping parent studio Disney to their greatest ever year with $2.3b in gate takings. And 2016 isn't over yet!

Paul Dergarabedian of comScore thought that the timing matter for these numbers. No matter what side of the aisle you find yourself, going to the movies is a pastime that everyone can agree crosses party lines and conflicting political ideologies," said Dergarabedian.

"Veterans Day provided a huge 80 percent bump over the same Friday a year ago and thus the first post-election weekend will see a meteoric jump. There is no question that what the world needs now is the great escape that only the movie theater experience can provide."

Arrival Strong Out Of The Blocks As Trolls Keeps Pace

Trolls Box Office

The audience clearly has an appetite for a feel-good movie right now as Trolls demonstrated. Seeing one of the lowest second-weekend drops for an animated film. Sitting at number 2 on the rankings with $35.1m for a 10-day domestic total of $94m, the Justin Timberlake-voiced picture only fell by 25%.

Arrival is already on course to recoup a lot of it's $47m budget, seeing $10.2m brought in via the overseas market this weekend. Where it launched with $24m. The family comedy Almost Christmas kept up the momentum with a better-than-expected $15.7m.

The box office has to provide a positive outlook for studios, and we're still 5 plus weeks from stocking that tree!

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