(Bloomberg) -- The animated movie “The Croods: A New Age” is set to become the biggest domestic film debut during the pandemic, bringing in an estimated $9.7 million in North American weekend box office sales.

The $65 million comedy by Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures will surpass “Tenet,” which generated $9.35 million sales over three days during its opening. The story about the Crood family’s tensions with new neighbors made $20.8 million in seven international markets this weekend.

Thanksgiving is traditionally a busy time for movie theaters -- but not this year, as only 38% of all cinemas in North America are currently open. Theaters in New York City and Los Angeles have remained closed, and those that resumed business elsewhere are required to operate at reduced capacity. This weekend, total box office in North America is only about $14 million, far lower than the equivalent weekend last year, when movies including Walt Disney Co.’s “Frozen II” brought in $181 million sales, according to researcher Comscore.

“This is far short of what a traditional Thanksgiving would generate in revenue, but it is actually a great result for the industry during the pandemic,” Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, said in an interview. “It reflects the pent-up demand for audiences to see a brand new film in theater.”

To cater to the stay-at-home crowd, Universal Pictures is also planning an online release for “The Croods” in December. “The Croods” is the biggest film Universal plans to release this year under its video-on-demand model, a new strategy during the pandemic.

The next major weekend for box office will be at Christmas, when theaters typically attract family crowds. Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” is set to be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max that day.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.