Moana 2 is looking at some record-breaking numbers based on early box office estimations, which would come as a nice change of pace for Walt Disney Animation after three disappointing Thanksgiving weekends in a row. Going into 2024, nobody knew Moana 2 would happen, but Disney made the shocking announcement early in the year, having retooled the planned Moana Disney+ series into a feature film. Now Moana 2 is looking to be one of the biggest films of 2024 based on box office estimations, suggesting this could be another Inside Out 2-level hit in Disney’s hands.
Deadline is reporting that Moana 2 is looking at a $100 million plus opening over the 5-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend and could get even higher. The numbers come from the tracking service Quorum, which suggests an estimation between $105 to $115 million. This is a significant improvement from the first Moana movie, which grossed $82 million over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2016. It also would break the record for the biggest opening for a movie opening on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, beating the nearly 11-year record that belongs to Disney’s 2013 Frozen with $93.5 million. It is worth noting that Moana 2 shares the same release date that Frozen had back in 2013, November 27th.
Moana 2 is also currently tracking ahead of Wicked and Gladiator II‘s opening weekend estimates. Both of those live-action films will open the Friday before Thanksgiving, getting a head start over the animated Disney sequel. Quorum is tracking Wicked at a $64 to $75 million opening weekend, while Gladiator II is looking between $42 to $47 million. This is on track with prior reports that suggested Moana 2 was the movie opening in the fall that most audiences were aware of and excited about. The three films will be a shot in the arm that the holiday box office needs after a rather slow September and October.
Moana 2 Will Set Disney Back on Track
Disney has tended to release a big movie over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and has found great success at their peak with films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, or in the modern era with Tangled, Frozen, and Moana. However, the past few Thanksgivings have been difficult for Walt Disney Animation. While Encanto became a hit when it landed on Disney+, its five-day opening weekend box office of $40 million was seen as a disappointment, but one mitigated by the fact that it was in the early months of theaters reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic. The same could not be said for 2022’s Strange World, which was dead on arrival at the box office with $18 million over the holiday weekend. Despite a big push for Wish, the movie was made to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary, and that movie opened to a meager $31 million over the holiday weekend. Moana 2 looks to be the rebound Walt Disney Animation needs.
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If the estimates are accurate, Moana 2 will also continue a positive trend for Disney in 2024. After a disastrous 2023, with box office flops like Wish, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Haunted Mansion, and The Marvels, 2024 has seen the company recover in a big way, as both Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine are the highest grossing movies of the year. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox films under Disney, like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus, have proven to be hits for the company. Moana 2 is not only expected to have a big opening weekend, but a strong hold over the holiday season and could be one of the biggest movies of the year.
- Release Date
- November 27, 2024
- Director
- David G. Derrick Jr. , Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller
- Cast
- Auli’i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Nicole Scherzinger , Hualālai Chung , David Fane , Rose Matafeo , Awhimai Fraser , Gerald Ramsey , Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Studio(s)
- Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27, 2024.