Moana 2 Leads Box Office, Sets New Post-Thanksgiving Record. A scene from the movie. (Disney via AP Newssource)
Disney's animated sequel Moana 2 continued its dominance at the box office, holding the top spot in its second weekend with an impressive $52 million haul. According to studio estimates released Sunday, the film's domestic earnings have climbed to $300 million, surpassing its predecessor. Globally, Moana 2 has brought in an extraordinary $600 million.
This performance sets a new record for post-Thanksgiving weekend earnings, previously held by Frozen II, which earned $35.2 million during the same timeframe in 2019. Notably, these figures are not adjusted for inflation. Initially planned as a Disney+ series, Moana 2 has become one of the year's top five highest-grossing films, joining Disney's Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine in that elite category. With Barry Jenkins' Mufasa set to debut on December 20, Disney looks poised to close the year with another blockbuster.
While Moana 2 dominated, other releases made smaller waves. Universal's Wicked secured second place, adding $34.9 million for a domestic total of $320.5 million over three weeks and $455.6 million globally. Ridley Scott's Gladiator II came in third, earning $12.5 million, followed by Red One in fourth with $7 million.
“These strong holdovers are propelling the box office toward an $8.5 billion year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. Before the pandemic, annual box office revenues typically reached $11 billion. Although 2023 began sluggishly, a robust Thanksgiving season has significantly narrowed the gap from last year, bringing the industry closer to pre-pandemic levels.
New releases, however, struggled to gain traction. A24's horror-comedy Y2K and Jude Law's crime thriller The Order had underwhelming openings, with $2.1 million and $878,000, respectively. In contrast, a 10th-anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, showing in just 165 theaters, brought in $4.4 million. IMAX reported sold-out screenings for all 70mm presentations of the sci-fi epic, prompting Nolan to express gratitude for the audience's enthusiasm.
The weekend’s strongest newcomer was the Indian action film Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2, which earned $4.9 million. Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime Solo Leveling – ReAwakening followed with $2.4 million, while A Drummer Boy Christmas, a concert film by for KING + COUNTRY, matched Y2K with $2.1 million.
“It’s an incredibly diverse lineup,” Dergarabedian observed. “We’re seeing everything from international hits to event cinema and re-releases of beloved classics, making for one of the most eclectic weekends in recent memory.”
Looking ahead, theaters will welcome more major releases next weekend, including Sony's Kraven the Hunter and the animated epic The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Limited releases of awards hopefuls like Nickel Boys and September 5 are also set to debut.
Weekend Box Office Top 10 (Friday–Sunday Estimates)
- Moana 2: $52 million
- Wicked: $34.9 million
- Gladiator II: $12.5 million
- Red One: $7 million
- Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2: $4.9 million
- Interstellar re-release: $4.4 million
- Solo Leveling – ReAwakening: $2.4 million
- Y2K: $2.1 million
- A Drummer Boy Christmas: $2.1 million
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: $1.5 million
