Last year at this time, “Smallfoot” managed an $833,000 opening Thursday night on its way to a meek (for an animated musical) opening of $23 million or so,

Thursday night, “Abominable,” another “yeti” comedy but this time from Dreamworks, not Sony, did $650k Thursday, and Friday’s numbers were correspondingly weaker as well.

In other words, no big surprises from a picture that was projected top out at $20 million, and might be lucky to reach that.

It’s a Pearl Studios Chinese co-production.

Any criticism that it’s not really aimed at the US market (very Chinese, with Chinese geopolitics in the mix) might be worth noting, but the bigger message is “If somebody else is punching out an abominable snowman comedy, we should look at doing something else.”

Even Laika’s “Missing Link” covered similar ground.

“Downton Abbey” is still selling tickets in some quarters, with advance sales this weekend outstripping “Abominable,” according to my Tops in the Country Regal Cinemas home theater.

It might hit the mid to upper teens on its second weekend, but $14 seems to be its current track. It could be over $60 by midnight Sunday.

“Hustlers” is showing the legs of a movie phenom, which is one of the signs it could be a J. Lo Oscar contender. “Ad Astra” and “Rambo: Last Blood” opened last weekend, “Hustlers” a few weeks back.

The strippers get even dramedy will manage over $10 this weekend, Brad Pitt and Sly Stallone in the $8-9 range.

“Judy,” the Renee Zellweger Judy Garland biopic, is in a 461 screen limited release and is doing OK, nothing special (either as a movie, or a box office performer, although Zellweger is quite good). Over $1 million, less than $2.