The animated feature film “Moana 2” from The Walt Disney Co. has successfully maintained its position at the top of the box office in its second weekend, achieving another remarkable financial milestone.
The film garnered an impressive $52 million over the weekend, as per studio projections, bringing its domestic earnings to a total of $300 million—exceeding the original film’s performance—and its global revenue to an astonishing $600 million.
This haul has set a new record for box office earnings during the weekend following Thanksgiving, surpassing the previous record held by “Frozen II,” which earned $35.2 million in the same weekend back in 2019. It is important to note that these figures do not account for inflation. Initially intended as a series for Disney+, “Moana 2” is now among the top five highest-grossing films of the year. Currently, Disney boasts three films in this top category, including “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Moreover, the studio has another significant title set to premiere before the year concludes: Barry Jenkins’ “Mufasa,” which will be released on December 20.
The weekend’s performance also spotlighted several new releases, including the horror-comedy “Y2K” from A24 and the crime thriller “The Order” starring Jude Law. Nonetheless, these new offerings were no match for the compelling Thanksgiving weekend holdovers: “Moana 2,” “Wicked,” and “Gladiator II.”
Taking second place at the box office was “Wicked,” which accrued $34.9 million, resulting in a domestic total of $320.5 million after three weeks. Its global earnings currently stand at $455.6 million. Following “Wicked” was “Gladiator II” in third with $12.5 million, while “Red One” landed in fourth place with $7 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, expressed optimism regarding the box office trends, stating that these holdover films would contribute to the momentum aimed at achieving an estimated $8.5 billion box office year.
Before the pandemic, the film industry consistently reached an annual box office figure of around $11 billion, with last year’s earnings peaking at $9 billion. Although the year began sluggishly, Dergarabedian noted that doubts about even reaching the $8 billion mark have eased in recent times, especially with the recent decline in the deficit from last year to over 5% since Thanksgiving.
Despite the influx of new films, they struggled to create substantial box office waves. A re-release of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” celebrating its tenth anniversary, outperformed “Y2K” and “The Order” combined, earning about $4.4 million from just 165 theaters. On the other hand, “Y2K” brought in $2.1 million, while “The Order” made only $878,000. IMAX theaters reported that all screenings of “Interstellar” in 70mm sold out throughout the weekend.
“I was thrilled to see so many moviegoers enjoy the original IMAX experience of ‘Interstellar’ this weekend,” Nolan remarked in a statement.
Among other newcomers, the Indian action film “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2” was the standout, making $4.9 million. Sony and Crunchyroll also released the anime feature “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening,” which earned $2.4 million. Fathom Events showcased pop duo for KING + COUNTRY’s concert film “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” which grossed $2.1 million.
“It’s a very diverse marketplace,” Dergarabedian observed, adding that the weekend’s lineup included event cinema, international offerings, and even a re-release of a decade-old film, making it one of the most vibrant sets of films he has seen.
Looking ahead to next weekend, theaters are expected to welcome a new batch of significant releases, including Sony’s superhero film “Kraven the Hunter” and the animated feature “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” Additionally, awards contenders “Nickel Boys” and “September 5” will also see limited releases.
The estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday across U.S. and Canadian theaters will be officially reported on Monday:
1. “Moana 2,” $52 million.
2. “Wicked,” $34.9 million.
3. “Gladiator II,” $12.5 million.
4. “Red One,” $7 million.
5. “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” $4.9 million.
6. “Interstellar” re-release, $4.4 million.
7. “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening,” $2.4 million.
8. “Y2K,” $2.1 million.
9. “for KING + COUNTRY’S: A Drummer Boy Christmas,” $2.1 million.
10. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $1.5 million.
