Disney’s Moana 2 continues to make history at the box office, as it’s set to gross between $50-55 million domestically during its second weekend. That would be a new record for the weekend after Thanksgiving, eclipsing the $35.1 million Frozen II posted back in 2019. Worldwide, Moana 2 is poised to pass the $600 million mark, nearly surpassing the global total of its 2016 predecessor. The original Moana grossed $643.3 million during its theatrical run.
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Per The Hollywood Reporter, the fall’s other massive hits, Wicked and Gladiator II continue to perform well. The former is set to earn $32.7 million this weekend, while Ridley Scott’s epic sequel is projected to gross $13 million. These three films have completely rejuvenated the box office; business is up 100% when compared to the same weekend last year.
Moana 2 wasted no time rewriting the record books, as it was setting new all time marks as soon as it arrived in theaters on November 27th. The film smashed the previous Thanksgiving weekend record, grossing a whopping $225.4 million domestically in its first five days. That figure gave Moana 2 the biggest five-day debut in Hollywood history, easily passing The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s haul of $204.6 million from last year.
[Related: Every Box Office Record Moana 2 Has Broken So Far]
The Disney sequel quickly became one of the highest-grossing titles of 2024. By the end of this weekend, it should rank No. 5 on the year’s global charts, behind only Dune: Part Two ($714.4 million), Despicable Me 4 ($969.1 million), Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.3 billion), and Inside Out 2 ($1.6 billion). For comparison, the original Moana was the 12th highest-grossing movie of 2016.
Despite receiving lukewarm reviews from critics, Moana 2 is a commercial juggernaut, underscoring Disney’s interest in further developing the franchise. There’s already a live-action remake of the first film set for release in 2026 (with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui). The Mouse House hasn’t confirmed development of a Moana 3, but it feels like it’s just a matter of time before that happens. Record-breaking box office aside, Moana 2 lays the groundwork for another installment, establishing Nalo as the series’ main villain. Even if Moana 2 hadn’t made history, it seems like the filmmakers were contemplating where to take the story next.
Other than when Moana 3 will get the green light, the biggest question now is how far Moana 2 will go up the box office charts. There’s still a couple of weeks until the premieres of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King, so Moana 2 doesn’t have to face any stiff competition just yet. Kraven the Hunter isn’t expected to be much of a draw, and even if it was, its R rating wouldn’t make it much of a threat to a Disney animated film anyway. Sonic 3 and Mufasa should eat into Moana 2‘s business over the Christmas window, but that won’t be an issue considering how much it’s made already.
