‘Moana 2’ Soars to Another Record-Breaking Weekend and $600 Million Worldwide
The Walt Disney Co. animated film. “Moana 2” remained at the top of the box office during its second weekend in theaters by grossing another record.
The film added $52 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. This brings its domestic total to $300 million, surpassing the initial amount, and its worldwide total to $600 million.
The amount set a record gross for a film the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend, toppling “Frozen II,” which grossed $35.2 million during the same period in 2019. The figures are not not adjusted for inflation. Originally conceived as a Disney+ series, “Moana 2” has already ranked among the top five highest-grossing releases of the year. Its performance means Disney has three films in this year’s top five, including “Inside Out 2” And “Dead Pool & Wolverine.” The studio also has another big film in the works before the end of the year: Barry Jenkins’ “Mufasa”, released on December 20.
The weekend also featured several new releases, including A24’s horror comedy “Y2K” and Jude Law’s crime thriller. “The Order”. But nothing could ever have presented significant competition to the attractive Thanksgiving Leftovers“Moana 2”, “Wicked” And “Gladiator II.”
Second place at the box office was taken by “Wicked,” which added $34.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $320.5 million in three weeks. Worldwide, the musical adaptation released by Universal totaled $455.6 million. “Gladiator II” follows in third place with $12.5 million, while “Red One” comes in fourth with $7 million.
“These vestiges will create the momentum that will put an $8.5 billion-plus box office year on the horizon,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Before the pandemic, $11 billion had become the annual norm for the film industry. Since then, the industry has failed to reach that figure last year, at $9 billion. This year started slowly and until a few months ago, Dergarabedian said, even reaching $8 billion for the year was uncertain. But in the two weeks after Thanksgiving, the deficit from last year shrank by more than 5%.
Newcomers have struggled to make a significant impact. Even the 10th anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan’s film “Interstellar,” which played in just 165 theaters, did better than “Y2K” ($2.1 million) and “The Order” ($878,000) combined. Paramount reported that the sci-fi epic starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway grossed approximately $4.4 million. IMAX also noted that all 70mm IMAX Presentations of “Interstellar” were sold out throughout the weekend.
“I was thrilled that so many moviegoers enjoyed the original IMAX experience of Interstellar this weekend,” Nolan said in a statement.
The biggest of the many newcomers was the Indian action film “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” which grossed $4.9 million. Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime, “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening,” grossed $2.4 million. Fathom also released a pop duet for KING + COUNTRY’s “A Drummer Boy Christmas” concert in theaters where it grossed $2.1 million.
“It’s a very diverse market,” Dergarabedian said. “There is event cinema, international cinema, the re-release of a 10-year-old film. This is easily one of the most eclectic and interesting lineups I’ve ever seen.
Next weekend, theaters will welcome a new influx of bigger films, featuring both Sony’s comic book film “Kraven the Hunter” and animated film “The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” which will be widely distributed. Award nominees “Nickel Boys” and “September 5” will also open in a limited number of theaters.
Estimated ticket sales Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Moana 2,” $52 million.
2. “Wicked,” $34.9 million.
3. “Gladiator II,” $12.5 million
4. “Red One,” $7 million.
5. “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” $4.9 million.
6. “Interstellar” reissue, $4.4 million.
7. “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening,” $2.4 million.
8. “Y2K,” $2.1 million.
9. “for KING + COUNTRY’S: A Drummer Boy Christmas,” $2.1 million.
10. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $1.5 million.
