Moana 2 is set to shatter records this holiday season, as the sequel is set to debut with nearly $220 million at the box office.
The film starring Auli’l Cravahalo as Moana, and Dwayne Johnson as Maui, has done well as expected as the film was released on Thanksgiving Eve, and since then, has been “tracking for a five-day holiday debut in the $125 million to $135 million range” (THR).
The film has earned $192.7 million worldwide, alongside earning $140 million domestically, the film also earned $52.7 million internationally.
Moana 2 takes place 3 years later after the first film; “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced” (IMDb).
The first Moana film which was released in 2016, earned $687.2 million worldwide, but a sequel on the big screen had not been planned as, “Disney’s confidence that audiences would turn out for a follow-up had more to do with how the movie was embraced on streaming, where it became one of the company’s most-viewed films” (Variety).
The film is not alone for this holiday season, with Wicked 2 and Gladiator II, also dropping films doing well, with Wicked, “projected to gross $105.6 million over the five-day holiday, while “Gladiator II,” the long-gestating sequel to an action epic released during the Clinton administration, will pull in an estimated $45 million over the same period. Both films were expensive to produce, so they need to keep attracting large audiences” (Variety). The box office has been shattered this Thanksgiving 5 day as all three films together have an estimated $422 million domestic box office, with “Nov. 22 when Wicked and Gladiator 2 opened is bound to gross a huge $681.5M” (Deadline).
Moana 2 is set to beat out its competition and then some, with the film also set to, “boast the biggest five-day debut in history — besting The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6 million) — as well become the top Thanksgiving opening and earner of all time, beating Frozen ($93.6 million) and Frozen II ($125 million)” (THR).
Moana 2 currently sits at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes audience score, with fans seemingly loving the adventure-driven film.
