Coraline’s Re-Release Defeats Shrek 2 and The Lion King at the Box Office

As a long-time fan of stop-motion animation and a connoisseur of timeless stories, I must say that this weekend’s box office triumph by the 2009 gem, Coraline, has left me absolutely spellbound! Having grown up with Henry Selick’s masterpieces like The Nightmare Before Christmas, it brings me immense joy to see another one of his creations resonate so strongly with audiences even after fifteen years.

As a longtime animation enthusiast who has grown up watching classic films like “The Lion King” and “Shrek,” I was quite surprised to learn that a rerelease of the 2009 hit 3D film “Coraline,” directed by Henry Selick, outperformed some of this year’s high-profile re-releases such as “Shrek 2” and “The Lion King.” Being a fan of Neil Gaiman’s work, I was already familiar with the 2002 novella that served as the basis for the film. However, I had never given much thought to how well it would hold up in today’s market.

To mark the 15th anniversary, the film “Coraline” received a special re-release. As reported by Deadline, this re-release earned $8.3 million at the box office, placing it fifth overall. Interestingly, Coraline’s re-release outperformed other anniversary rereleases in 2024, such as Shrek 2 (which made $1.4 million), The Mummy ($1 million), The Lion King ($1 million), Alien ($1.5 million). In fact, Coraline’s opening weekend came very close to the 25th-anniversary rerelease of The Phantom Menace from earlier this year, which made $8.7 million. What’s more, considering that Coraline began showing on Thursday, its four-day opening total would be approximately $11 million. Here is a comparison of Coraline’s opening weekend with other notable releases in 2024:

Coraline For The Win

The rerelease of Coraline stands out remarkably when compared to most other films, even notable animated movies such as Shrek 2 and The Lion King. It’s worth noting that at the time of Coraline‘s initial release, The Lion King had already set the record for the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film. Meanwhile, Shrek 2 boasted the title of the highest-grossing animated film ever at that time. The domestic box office earnings for Coraline‘s original release were $75 million, while its global total was $124 million. Despite these figures being noteworthy, they pale in comparison to the box office totals achieved by other films during their initial runs.

In a refreshed version, Coraline enjoyed a financial advantage as it was released in 3D format, which allowed for higher ticket prices compared to other standard films. The allure of 3D might have been significant since many consider the 3D implementation in Coraline to be one of the best technological uses, alongside Avatar, which debuted ten months later and played a crucial role in the early 2010s 3D craze. Interestingly, the opening weekend earnings for Coraline’s rerelease were almost on par with Avatar’s 2022 rerelease, pulling in $10 million. This means that the difference in box office revenue between Coraline’s re-release and the highest-grossing film of all time was a modest $2 million.

Over time, the film Coraline has blossomed and amassed a fervent fanbase similar to that of Henry Sellick’s renowned stop-motion masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas. The latter movie became such a hit that Disney began traditionally re-releasing it in theaters every holiday season, understanding that its audience was substantial enough to ensure strong box office earnings. Many eagerly anticipated the opportunity to watch Coraline on the big screen again after a fifteen-year absence. For some, this could have been their inaugural experience watching one of their favorite films in a cinema setting.

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2024-08-19 07:01