Box Office: 'Krampus' Creeps to $637K Thursday Night

'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2' and 'The Good Dinosaur' will chase the No. 1 spot on the typically quiet post-Thanksgiving weekend.

Krampus, Legendary and Universal's holiday horror movie, scared up $637,000 Thursday night, with showings beginning 7 p.m.

The film, directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick 'r Treat), is based on the Alpine legend of the horned Christmas demon who punishes the naughty.

Weekend Box Office 12/6/15

Actuals for Weekend of 12/6/15 Weekend Cume Theaters Week 1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 $18.5M $227.4M 4,086 3 2. Krampus $16.3M $16.3M 2,902 1 3. The Good Dinosaur $15.3M $75.8M 3,749 2 4. Creed $15.0M $64.6M 3.424 2 5. Spectre $5.5M $184.6M 2,840 5 6. The Night Before $3.6M $32.1M 2,794 3 7. The Peanuts Movie $2.8M $121.5M 2,917 5 8. Spotlight $2.4M $16.5M 980 5 9. Brooklyn $1.9M $11.2M 906 5 10. The Secret in Their Eyes $1.6M $17.2M 2,147 3

Krampus, playing in 2,899 locations, is tracking to open in the low-teen millions. The horror-comedy, showing the most interest among younger moviegoers, stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner. Overseas, Krampus opens in 24 markets.

The only other newcomer — the weekend after Thanksgiving is historically one of the slowest of the year at the North American box office — is biographical drama The Letters, although it is only rolling out in some 1,000 theaters. The film, starring Juliet Stevenson as Mother Theresa and directed by William Riead, has received scathing reviews.

Holdovers The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and The Good Dinosaur will likely vie for the No. 1 spot, earning in the $20 million range.