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Thanksgiving (2023 film)

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Thanksgiving
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEli Roth
Screenplay byJeff Rendell
Story by
  • Eli Roth
  • Jeff Rendell
Based on
Thanksgiving
by
  • Eli Roth
  • Jeff Rendell
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMilan Chadima
Edited by
  • Michele Conroy
  • Michel Aller
Music byBrandon Roberts
Production
companies
Distributed byTriStar Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing)
Release date
  • November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Running time
106 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[3]
Box office$46.6 million[4][5]

Thanksgiving is a 2023 American slasher film directed by Eli Roth and written by Jeff Rendell, based on a story by the pair, who produced with Roger Birnbaum. Based on Roth's fictitious trailer of the same name from Grindhouse (2007), it is the third feature-length adaptation of a fictitious Grindhouse trailer after Robert Rodriguez's Machete (2010) and Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun (2011). The film stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon, and follows a small Massachusetts town that is terrorized by a killer in a John Carver mask around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving received a theatrical release in the United States by TriStar Pictures through Sony Pictures Releasing on November 17, 2023. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $46 million worldwide. A sequel is in development, scheduled for a 2025 release.

Plot

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On Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachussetts, a mob gathers outside local superstore RightMart in preparation for a Black Friday sale. Jessica Wright, whose father Thomas owns the store, lets her friends Gaby, Bobby, Evan, Scuba, and Yulia inside early. The crowd notices them and stampedes into the store in a frenzy. In the ensuing chaos, Amanda Collins, wife of RightMart's employee Mitch, a security guard and a customer are killed while Bobby gets his arm shattered in the riot and moves away.

The following year, RightMart begins preparations for another Black Friday sale. When Bobby returns to Plymouth, a waitress named Lizzie is killed by a figure wearing a John Carver mask. Lizzie's involvement in the RightMart incident leads police to believe those involved are being targeted.

The assailant, now fittingly called "John Carver", tags Jessica and her friends in grisly social media posts. Jessica lends camera footage from the RightMart incident to the town's sheriff, Eric Newlon. Carver kills several more residents involved in the riot, including students Lonnie and Amy, and security guard Manny. Evan and Gaby are soon abducted while Yulia is attacked in her home. Jessica and Scuba make it there but are unable to stop Carver from disemboweling Yulia with a saw. The police attempt to lure Carver out by having the Wright family participate in the Thanksgiving parade. Carver in a different disguise decapitates a mascot and sets off bombs, causing chaos in which he is able to abduct Jessica, her stepmother Kathleen, Thomas, and Scuba.

Kathleen is prepared and cooked alive at Carver's hideout. Her corpse is served as a "turkey" at a table where the hostages and victims' corpses are seated. Carver then bludgeons Evan to death in a livestream in front of the others. Jessica and Scuba escape from the table and Carver chases Jessica through the woods. She then comes upon Newlon lying on the pavement and follows signs of movement into a building where parade float materials are being stored. She sees Bobby in the Carver costume but Newlon joins her and tells her to go outside. Gunshots are heard but Bobby is not found.

The police inform Jessica that her friends and father are safe. In Newlon's office, Jessica notices the same debris from the woods that stuck to her clothing is also stuck to the hem of Newlon's pants, revealing that he is the killer. Newlon reveals his motive for the murders – after his wife left him, he met Amanda and they had an affair, resulting in her becoming pregnant with his child, and she planned to divorce Mitch to be with him. When Amanda was killed during the RightMart incident, not only did Newlon lose the love of his life, but he also lost his unborn baby. Newlon began targeting those he held responsible for the riot, as their negligence and violence caused Amanda's death, along with the death of his child. Newlon had abducted Bobby and put him in the Carver costume to frame him. A horrified Newlon realizes Jessica has live-streamed his confession, exposing him as the killer. He attacks her, but Bobby intervenes.

An enraged Newlon attacks again, intent on killing Jessica for ruining his plans and his life. Jessica loads a musket using her mother's bracelet then shoots down a balloon attached to a tank of gas, causing an explosion that engulfs Newlon. She reunites with Gaby and Scuba while Bobby is taken to the hospital. Authorities are unable to find Newlon's body. Jessica has a nightmare in which she is attacked by a flaming Newlon.

Cast

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Additionally, Jordan Poole plays Jacob, Mika Amonsen plays Lonnie, Shailyn Griffin plays Amy, Amanda Barker plays Lizzie, Chris Sandiford plays Doug, and Lynne Griffin plays Grandma. Adam MacDonald provides the voice of John Carver.

Production

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After director Eli Roth created the fake movie trailer, Thanksgiving, for the film Grindhouse (2007), plans for a feature-length adaptation began.[6] In 2010, Roth told CinemaBlend that he was writing the script with Jeff Rendell and that he hoped to complete it once he was done with press for The Last Exorcism (2010).[7] By August 2012, Jon Watts and Christopher D. Ford were set to write the screenplay with Roth and Rendell after they finished writing the Roth-produced Clown (2014).[8] In June 2016, Roth revealed on Reddit that the script still needed work in order for the film to live up to the trailer.[9]

In January 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that Spyglass Media Group was producing the film. Roth would depart from Borderlands (2024), passing additional photography off to Tim Miller, in order to direct the film.[10] The following month, Patrick Dempsey and Addison Rae joined the cast.[11][12] Also cast were Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, and Milo Manheim.[13][14] In March 2023, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Tim Dillon, Gabriel Davenport, Tomaso Sanelli, and Jenna Warren joined the cast.[15] Principal photography took place in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, from March 13 to May 5, 2023.[16][17]

Release

[edit]

In March 2023, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to the film.[1] Thanksgiving was released in the United States on November 17, 2023.[18] The film was released in India as Bloody Thanksgiving.[19] It was released on digital platforms on December 19, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on January 30, 2024.[20] The film began streaming on Netflix on February 17, 2024.[21]

Reception

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Box office

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Thanksgiving grossed $31.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $46.6 million.[4][5]

In the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving was released alongside Next Goal Wins, Trolls Band Together, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,204 theaters in its opening weekend.[22][3] The film made $3.8 million on its first day, including $1 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $10.4 million, finishing fourth at the box office.[23] The film made $7.2 million in its second weekend (a drop of 31%), finishing in fifth.[24] It then made $2.6 million in its third weekend.[25] The film was re-released in 511 theaters in the United States on the last weekend of January 2024.[26]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 151 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Combining belly-busting humor with delightfully over-the-top gore, Thanksgiving is a feast for grindhouse fans."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 73% overall positive score.[23]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote "Thanksgiving follows the rules of the slasher genre, but it's got a more charged and entertainingly hyperbolic atmosphere than these movies used to have".[29] Frank Scheck ended his positive review saying, "There are times you can feel Thanksgiving straining too mightily for a cult status it's not likely to achieve. But it seems a safe bet the film will be trotted out like a turkey on cable channels and streaming services for many Thanksgivings to come".[30] The San Francisco Chronicle's G. Allen Johnson gave the film a score of one out of four and wrote, "Thanksgiving could have been a great horror movie. Instead, it's one of those where if you've seen the trailer, you've seen the film".[31]

Sequel

[edit]

In November 2023, Roth announced on his Instagram page that a sequel had been greenlit for a 2025 release.[32] In August 2024, Roth stated he and co-writer Jeff Rendell were "about to hand" the final script to the studio, and that Addison Rae was expected to return as her character Gaby.[33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (March 9, 2023). "TriStar Pictures Lands Spyglass Media Group's Thanksgiving, Inspired By Eli Roth's Legendary Grindhouse Fake Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Thanksgiving (18)". BBFC. October 27, 2023. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (November 15, 2023). "Box Office: 'Hunger Games' Prequel 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Targets $50 Million Debut". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Thanksgiving (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 6, 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ a b "Thanksgiving". The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ^ Wortham, Jenna (November 19, 2007). "Director Eli Roth Serves up a Side of Faux Film Schwag for Thanksgiving". Wired. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (August 24, 2010). "Eli Roth Confirms He's Working On A Thanksgiving Movie". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Bettinger, Brendan (August 23, 2012). "Eli Roth Promises Thanksgiving Is "Gonna Happen" with Writers Jon Watts and Christopher D. Ford". Collider. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (February 13, 2019). "Could Eli Roth Finally Be Making His Thanksgiving Feature Film?". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 7, 2023). "Tim Miller Steps In For Eli Roth To Handle 'Borderlands' Reshoot As Roth Cooks Up Feature Version Of 'Grindhouse' Trailer 'Thanksgiving'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (February 17, 2023). "Patrick Dempsey in Talks to Star in Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Horror Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 23, 2023). "Addison Rae Lands Lead Role In Eli Roth's 'Thanksgiving' For Spyglass Media". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (February 24, 2023). "Eli Roth's Horror Thriller 'Thanksgiving' Finds Its Stars in Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (March 3, 2023). "'Zombies' Star Milo Manheim Joins Eli Roth Horror Thriller Thanksgiving (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 16, 2023). "Gina Gershon, Rick Hoffman And Tim Dillon Round Out Cast Of Eli Roth's Thanksgiving At TriStar And Spyglass". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Lovett-squires, Julia (March 16, 2023). "What's Going On Here? Movie featuring Patrick Dempsey filming in Waterdown". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Current Production and News". Toronto Film Commission. May 5, 2023. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  18. ^ McCall, Kevin (April 3, 2023). "Eli Roth's 'Thanksgiving' Horror Movie Sets Holiday Release Date". Collider. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Cyril, Grace (October 5, 2023). "Bloody Thanksgiving trailer: Eli Roth's film promises a blood-soaked, scary holiday". India Today. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  20. ^ Squires, John (December 21, 2023). "Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Slashes Onto DVD and Blu-ray in January 2024". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  21. ^ Navarro, Meagan (February 16, 2024). "Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Slashes Onto Netflix This Weekend". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 15, 2023). "'Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Looks To Sing $100M+ Worldwide Opening – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  23. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 19, 2023). "'The Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Chirps $44M Opening: Enough To Reignite Franchise?; 'Marvels' Suffers Worst MCU 2nd Weekend Drop – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 26, 2023). "'Songbirds & Snakes' Reigns Supreme Over Thanksgiving Stretch With $42M 5-day; 'Napoleon' Steps On Disney's 'Wish' With $32M+ — Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 3, 2023). "'Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé' $22M Opening Irreplaceable For Sleepy Early December Weekend; Fuels $95M+ Frame Best Post 2018 – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  26. ^ Squires, John (January 26, 2024). "Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Returns to 500+ Theaters This Weekend for Some Reason". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "Thanksgiving". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 17, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  28. ^ "Thanksgiving". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  29. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (November 15, 2023). "Thanksgiving Review: Eli Roth Turns His Slasher-Movie Trailer From Grindhouse Into a Real Slasher Movie, and It's Mostly Slashing Good Fun". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  30. ^ Scheck, Frank (November 15, 2023). "Thanksgiving Review: Patrick Dempsey in an Eli Roth Flick That Offers Just Enough Cheap Kills". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  31. ^ Allen Johnson, G. (November 15, 2023). "Review: Horror film Thanksgiving is a real turkey". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 30, 2023). "Thanksgiving Sequel in the Works With Director Eli Roth". Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  33. ^ Malkin, Marc (August 7, 2024). "Thanksgiving Director Eli Roth Teases Addison Rae's Return in Sequel: 'We Kept Her Alive for a Reason'". Variety. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
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