Pixar’s ‘Coco’ Becomes Mexico’s Highest Grossing Film Ever

“Coco,” Pixar’s latest, critically-acclaimed animated feature, is now Mexico’s highest grossing movie of all-time.

The film crossed the mark a week before it is set to hit theaters worldwide, as Disney premiered the film at the Morelia Film Festival and released it in Mexico three weeks ago to coincide with the Dia De Muertos celebrations, during which the film takes place. Through Wednesday, the movie made 824 million pesos ($43.1 million USD), and will pass the 827 million record set five years ago by “The Avengers.”

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Critics have raved over the film, giving it a 96 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is heavily favored to win Pixar its ninth Best Animated Feature Oscar. The film follows a 12-year-old Mexican boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who yearns to follow in the footsteps of the legendary musician Ernesto De La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) despite the protests of his grandmother (Renee Victor), who bans music in the family. During Dia De Muertos, Miguel sneaks into the church where Ernesto’s guitar is located and is transported to the Land of the Dead, where he meets his ancestors and a trickster named Hector Rivera (Gael Garcia Bernal). As he tries to find a way back to the land of the living, he uncovers why his family is forbidden to play music.

Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”) and Adrian Molina directed the film from a script written by Molina and Matthew Aldritch. It will be released domestically on Nov. 22.