“Moana 2” Sails to Box Office Victory: Record-Breaking $52M Second Weekend

“Moana 2” Continues Box Office Reign, Surpasses Original Film’s Success

Disney’s “Moana 2” has maintained its stronghold at the box office for the second consecutive weekend, raking in an additional $52 million. The animated sequel has now amassed a domestic total of $300 million and global earnings of $600 million, surpassing the performance of its predecessor.

The film has set a new record for post-Thanksgiving weekend earnings, overtaking “Frozen II.” Originally slated as a Disney+ series, “Moana 2” has exceeded expectations and now ranks among the top five highest-grossing films of the year.

Disney’s dominance at the box office extends beyond “Moana 2,” with other top-performing titles including “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The studio is set to release Barry Jenkins’ “Mufasa” on December 20, further solidifying its presence in theaters.

In the competitive landscape, “Wicked” secured the second spot with $34.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $320.5 million and global earnings to $455.6 million. “Gladiator II” and “Red One” followed in third and fourth places, respectively.

Industry analysts are optimistic about the year-end box office performance, projecting potential earnings of $8.5 billion. This figure represents a significant recovery from the pandemic-induced slump, with last year’s total exceeding $9 billion. The current trend has narrowed the deficit from the previous year by over 5%.

While new releases struggled to compete with established blockbusters, Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” re-release outperformed expectations, earning $4.4 million. IMAX screenings of the film were particularly popular, selling out in many locations.

The weekend also saw success for diverse offerings, including the Indian action film “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” which topped newcomers with $4.9 million. Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening” and Fathom’s “A Drummer Boy Christmas” concert film also performed well, highlighting the current variety in cinema offerings.

Looking ahead, next weekend will feature the release of Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” and the animated “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” Awards contenders “Nickel Boys” and “September 5” are set for limited release.

As the industry continues to rebound, the diverse lineup of films and strong performance of tentpole releases suggest a promising trajectory for the box office as it approaches pre-pandemic levels.