I’ve got bad news for Lisa Simpson. Her new favorite movie of all time, Ella McCay, isn’t being loved by anyone else. But don’t let that get you down, Lisa. You loved the film, and no one can take that away from you (then again, that theater looks completely empty! So maybe this was unintentional foreshadowing?).

Yes, Ella McCay is not only one of the biggest flops of 2025, it saw one of the worst openings for a wide release in years. The new comedy/dramady/”alien experiment” according to critics (more on that in a bit) made only $2.1 million. No one is going to this. Again, apologies to Lisa Simpson. I’m sure she’s heartbroken by this, or maybe she just thinks the world isn’t ready for Ella McCay, and really, when has she ever been wrong about anything?

All kidding aside (and you know what, the clip of Marge and Lisa going to the movie is genuinely sweet), Ella McCay was doomed from the start. Even before those absolutely savage reviews came in. After all, Sisu: Road to Revenge is a fantastic film, but critics weren’t enough to give it much of a boost. Alas, streaming has really killed the unique sort of genre that Ella is attempting to replicate. In the 90s, something like this could leg it out to $100 million (if it was, you know, a good movie, and I haven’t seen Ella McCay, so maybe it’s actually great, I dunno). Those days are sadly long gone. Disney made the decision to sandwich it between their own Zootopia 2 and the juggernaut Avatar: Fire and Ash as potential counterprogramming to themselves. That obviously isn’t happening.

But then again, Disney can probably afford to take the L right now. Zootopia 2 really is the box office sensation of 2025, and is now the biggest Hollywood movie of the year, surpassing the $1 billion mark in just 17 days. If last year’s Moana 2 had audiences concerned that the Mouse House wasn’t able to release high quality sequels anymore (even with how much money that one made), Zootopia 2 should come as a sigh of relief to fans. It’s a great film, and filmgoers are clearly enjoying what they’re getting. Zootopia 3: Mission Aborted should be announced any day now.

This weekend, the box office was basically taking a nap. Other than Ella, there were no mainstream wide releases (well, unless we count the 25th anniversary re-release of The Grinch). Next week, we have the aforementioned Avatar: Fire and Ash. I’m sure it will have no cultural impact whatsoever. Also on the way is SpongeBob and The Housemaid. It could be a very merry Christmas at the movies indeed.

Anyway, the top ten, via Deadline

1.Zootopia 2 (Dis) 3,835 (-165) theaters, Fri $6.2M (-39%), 3-day $26.3M (-39%), Total $258.97M/Wk 3

2. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (Uni) 3,579 (+167) theaters, Fri $5.6M (-81%), Sat $8.4M Sun $5.37M 3-day $19.5M (-70%), Total $95.4M/Wk 2

3. Wicked: For Good (Uni) 3,480 (-505) theaters, Fri $2.27M (-50%) Sat $3.65M Sun $2.6M 3-day $8.55M (-51%), Total $312.1M/Wk 4

4. Dhurandhar (Moviegoer) 377 (-13) theaters, Fri $939K (=81%), 3-day $3.5M (+78%), Total $7.9M/Wk 2

5.Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (LG) 2,411 (-218) theatres, Fri $725K (-30%) Sat $1M Sun $635K 3-day $2.38M (-32%) Total $59.3M/Wk 5

6. Ella McCay (20th) 2,500 theaters, Fri $850K, Sat $700K Sun $550K 3-day $2.1M/Wk 1

6. Jujutsu Kasen: Execution (Gkids) 1,700 (-133) theaters Fri $606K Sat $846K Sun $650K 3-day $2.1M (-79%), Total $14.5M/Wk 2

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Uni) 2,250 theaters, Fri $490K Sat $800K Sun $560K, 3-day $1.85M, Total $264.2M/Wk 1 (re)

9. Eternity (A24) 2,067 (-319) theaters, Fri $551K (-38%) Sat $656K Sun 535K 3-day $1.77M (-37%), Total $12.99M /Wk 3

10. The Shining (1980) (re) 400 theaters, Fri $580K Sat $540K Sun $440K, 3-day $1.56M, Lifetime total $47.7M/Wk 1 (re)