Box Office: Pixar’s ‘Onward’ Opens with $40 Million

Variety.com: Disney-Pixar’s fantasy film “Onward” is dominating North American moviegoing this weekend, opening with $40 million at 4,310 locations, estimates showed on Saturday.

The figure is at the low end of pre-release forecasts, which had pegged “Onward” for a launch in the $40-45 million range. The movie centers on a pair of teenage elf brothers — voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland — on a quest to resurrect their deceased father with a magical staff. Opening day audiences gave “Onward” an A- Cinemascore.

“Onward” is delivering results in the same neighborhood as Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur,” which opened with $39 million in North America and finished its run with $123 million domestically and $332 million in worldwide box office for the lowest total of Pixar’s 21 titles. “Onward” is the first Pixar movie to debut during the March/early spring corridor; all other Pixar titles have been released in the summer or November.