Frozen can quite literally get in the sea because Moana 2 has officially taken the crown as Disney’s new reigning queen of the Thanksgiving box office. The highly anticipated sequel, which was somehow a television series this time a year ago — featuring the return of Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana — smashed records left and right in its opening weekend across the globe as audiences flocked to the Pacific Ocean to get sail once again. In case you hadn’t heard, the film is doing incredibly well, with a domestic 5-day haul of $225.2 million, a take of $163.8 million internationally, and a fairly impressive worldwide total of $386.3 million, and that’s good enough for quite a lot of records.
Disney has long dominated Thanksgiving releases, and Moana 2 took that tradition to unprecedented heights. The sequel delivered the highest 5-day opening of all time, raking in $225.2 million and obliterating the previous record set by The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6 million). It also claimed the title for the best Thanksgiving weekend debut ever, more than doubling Frozen’s $94 million 5-day opening and thawing Frozen 2’s $125 million holdover performance. As for Turkey Day itself, that was a record breaker too, with Moana 2 bringing in $28 million—nearly double the $15 million mark set by Frozen 2. Black Friday was no different, as Moana 2 scored the highest-ever box office take for the day, pulling in $54.5 million and surpassing Frozen 2’s $34.2 million.
‘Moana 2’ Has Broken Numerous Records in Just Five Days
It’s also the highest-ever opening for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film, dethroning Frozen 2’s $130.3 million debut. The film also shattered Disney preview records, earning $13.8 million, the best-ever Tuesday preview for the studio and second-highest for an animated movie behind Incredibles 2 ($18.5 million). The Rock also hit a personal milestone, too. With Moana 2 and Amazon MGM Studios’ Red One, he became the first Hollywood star to have two No. 1 openings in a single calendar month with Moana 2 also marking Johnson’s second-best 3-day opening weekend, trailing only Furious 7 ($147.1 million). Here are just a few more:
Global Box Office Records
|
Record |
Amount |
Rank |
Films Surpassed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Biggest 2024 Global Debut |
$386.3M |
2nd |
Behind Deadpool & Wolverine ($444.7M) |
|
Highest Animated Global Opening |
$386.3M |
3rd |
Behind Super Mario Bros. ($377.2M) and Frozen 2 ($358.2M) |
|
Biggest Global Musical Opening |
$386.3M |
3rd |
Behind Beauty and the Beast ($357M) and Barbie ($356.3M) |
International Box Office Records
|
Record |
Amount |
Rank |
Markets/Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Biggest 2024 International Debut |
$163.8M |
2nd |
Behind Deadpool & Wolverine ($233.1M) |
|
Highest Animated International Opening |
$163.8M |
2nd |
Behind Inside Out 2 |
|
No. 1 Opening Markets |
Almost all |
1st in most markets |
Except China (close 2nd) |
|
Highest Animated Weekend of All Time |
Not Specified |
Record Set |
France, Poland, UAE, and others |
|
Best Disney Animation Opener |
Not Specified |
Record Set |
Latin America, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey |
Moana 2 is currently playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more.
Moana sets out on another daring voyage, venturing into uncharted territories to save her island from a looming ancient danger. Joined by the demigod Maui and her steadfast friends, she braves perilous seas and encounters new allies along the way. Her quest leads to revelations about her ancestors and deeper insights into her bond with the ocean.
- 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
- Writers
- Dana Ledoux Miller , Jared Bush , Jason Hand , Ron Clements , John Musker
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