Should we be surprised? Aside from Harry Potter and Tangled Hollywood didn't offer moviegoers the typical cornucopia of Thanksgiving blockbusters.

The November box office came in at $897 million, which was off ten percent from November 2009's record $995 million haul. That represented the steepest year-to-year drop on record.

Much of the disparity between November 2010 and 2009 came from 2010's programming lacking an event picture in the middle of the month .  2009 had 2012 lined up mid-month, versus the more limited Unstoppable and Skyline this year. [boxofficemojo]

So, why don't specialty companies or boutique studios open their biggest titles wide over Thanksgiving rather than relying on platform releases in New York and Los Angeles? These smaller budgeted pictures may make more money as an alternative to the Thanksgiving blockbuster. With the Oscar buzz and national media coverage that it has been garnering since September, a movie like The King's Speech with Colin Firth could have cleaned up in smaller cities. These smaller pictures could have been the key to boosting the November box-office haul to its record 2009 heights. Instead, they are released simultaneously in December, with none gaining the attention they deserve as they are battling each other for a common audience.