Disney’s “Moana 2” brought in $221 million in U.S. ticket sales over the five-day holiday weekend, making it the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release of all time and contributing to a record-breaking holiday box office stretch.
This image released by Disney shows the character Moana, voiced by Auli'i Cravalho, in a scene from ... [+]
“Moana 2” sales from Wednesday to Sunday shattered the previous $125 million Thanksgiving weekend record set by “Frozen II” in 2019, followed by “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” in 2013 ($110 million), according to data from Box Office Mojo.
It also broke a record for the biggest five-day opening set in April last year by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” at $204.6 million.
“Moana 2,” along with “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” amounted to a Thanksgiving week total of nearly $420 million, according to Box Office Mojo, surpassing 2018’s record for the best Thanksgiving box office week in history.
The animated adventure film exceeded expectations after bringing in $28 million on Thanksgiving Day, putting it on track to earn $175 million over the five-day holiday week, Variety reported.
$386 million. That’s how much “Moana 2” has earned worldwide since its release, including $165.3 million in international ticket sales.
- Moana 2 ($221 million)
- Wicked ($117.5 million)
- Gladiator II ($44 million)
- Red One ($18.7 million)
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ($4.9 million)
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin ($3.5 million)
- Venom: The Last Dance ($3.1 million)
- The Wild Robot ($1 million)
- A Real Pain ($900,000)
- Conclave ($800,000)
“Moana 2” is a sequel to 2016’s “Moana,” which grossed $82 million in its Thanksgiving opening that year and became the most streamed movie of the year in 2023. Despite a strong Thanksgiving showing, the U.S. box office is on track for a rocky year: Films have grossed just over $7.5 billion so far this year, behind the more than $8.1 billion recorded at this point in 2023, and well behind pre-pandemic 2019’s more than $10.1 billion. The industry has struggled to recover from the pandemic due to a shift toward streaming services and the lingering impacts of last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes.
'Moana 2' May Break Thanksgiving Record Set By ‘Frozen II’ (Forbes)
‘Moana 2’ Breaks Disney Record In Previews, Expected To Top ‘Frozen 2’ Thanksgiving Release (Forbes)
‘Wicked’ Charts Massive Weekend: 3rd-Biggest U.S. Premiere Of 2024—Breaking Broadway Film Record (Forbes)