Pixar's Onward began its box office journey with $2 million in Thursday night previews. Disney is expecting a debut in the $40 million range, with other industry experts saying that the box office could reach up to $45 million.
The animation studio's last installment, Toy Story 4, earned $12 million in preview grosses, the second highest Thursday night box office gross for an animated movie behind Pixar title The Incredibles 2 ($18.5 million). While Onward's preview earnings fall well below both films, it is on par with Pixar's last original feature, Coco, which earned $2.3 million in Tuesday-night previews ahead of its five-day Thanksgiving weekend debut.
Onward voice stars Chris Pratt and Tom Holland as two teenage elf brothers in a suburban fantasy world that embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there, and if they can use it to bring back their late father. Dan Scanlon, who directed Monsters University, is behind the film and wrote the movie with Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.
Onward, which currently sits at an 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, will expand to over 4,200 theaters, including 400 Imax screens, 800 premium large format screens and 2,300 3D locations.
Also opening this weekend is Warner Bros.' adult drama The Way Back, starring Ben Affleck as a former basketball all-star struggling with the loss of his wife and addiction as he attempts to make a comeback by becoming the coach of his alma mater's high school basketball team.
The movie did not screen for Thursday previews, but is opening in 2,718 theaters this weekend. The movie is expected to take in $6 million to $10 million at the box office on a $20 million budget.
Opening in a limited release in A24 movie First Cow, while holdovers at the national box office include Universal and Blumhouse's The Invisible Man, heading into its second weekend.