On a softer weekend ahead of the holiday there was coal left in many cinematic stockings.

The post-Thanksgiving slot on the calendar is normally a lighter one. Studios give room to the big-name titles that were released and focus more on debuting some awards-caliber efforts, ahead of the big Christmastime rollouts. But even by the standards of that expected lull this weekend was softer.

One trophy-hopeful film failed to generate much heat, and another wan children’s animated feature was cast off to the Island of Misfit Toys. So beyond the expected continued success of a Disney hit there was little drawing on audience interest. The coming weeks should change that reaction, however.

1. FROZEN 2 – $34.7 Million
To give a sense of how big this has been after three weeks it sits with well over $300 million. The original took about 8 weekends to achieve that figure. At this stage you can tack on an additional $450 million from overseas theaters. The concept of it reaching $1 billion globally is a foregone conclusion, the only thing remaining is how high it will go.

2. KNIVES OUT – $14.1m
This accounts for only a -47% drop in its second week, a sign that the adults appreciate the quality of an original drama. While not as much on fire as “Frozen” this whodunnit has already pulled in over $60 million in just 10 days.

3. FORD VS. FERRARI – $6.54m
Still holding strong the high octane boys by next weekend should cross the line over $100 million.

4. QUEEN & SLIM – $6.53m
The adult drama has been given a serious look by those interested in something beyond the cartoon. There is some growing interest this could get looked at for some awards considerations in the acting categories.

5. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD – $5.2m
While doing well enough this is not a blistering return so far. The hope is that Tom Hanks may garner acting nominations to boost the marketability of the title in the coming weeks and stretch out the run.

6. DARK WATERS – $4.1m
A clear shot at Oscar bait by Focus features, this is positioned as an ‘’important’’ investigative legal drama, directed by awards-season favorite Todd Haynes and starring Mark Ruffalo. This soft opening against a 2,000 screen rollout shows it will be tough getting the needed attention to earn nominations.

7. 21 BRIDGES – $2.88m
This gritty police procedural is getting lost in the wake of hyped titles and Oscar-bait seriousness.

8. PLAYING WITH FIRE – $2.01m
After placing third among three big releases 5 weeks ago it might be lasting longer than the others it appears.

9. MIDWAY – $1.94m
This one too is managing to linger, while not overwhelming any competition.

10. JOKER – $1.05m
How many titles have come and gone as Warners has been laughing to the bank with this surprising smash hit?

(OFF CHART) – PLAYMOBIL THE MOVIE – $670,000
This is an amazingly embarrassing performance for a debut. The studio STX has failed for the second time this year to translate a line of toys into a movie property. After the disaster this summer of ‘’Ugly Dolls’’ this release has become far worse. It ranks as one of the fifth-worst openings ever for a film on 2,000+ screens.