Disney’s “Moana 2” is on the verge of achieving a significant domestic milestone. This new animated sequel to the 2016 blockbuster reunites the title character (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) with the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) for another exciting adventure. Released the day before U.S. Thanksgiving, “Moana 2” has thrived throughout the Christmas holiday weekend, holding the No. 1 position for three consecutive weeks and remaining in the Top 5 during its fifth weekend so far.
As of Saturday morning, the “Moana 2” box office is projected to reach a cumulative domestic total of $394.2 million by the end of the post-Christmas weekend. It’s getting closer to the $400 million domestic milestone, which only three other movies in 2024 – the record-breaking “Inside Out 2”, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, and “Wicked” – have surpassed. In contrast, the original “Moana” didn’t reach this milestone in either the domestic or international markets, having earned $248.7 million in North America and $643.3 million globally.
What this means for “Moana 2” is that it’s an undeniable success. Its box office has soared, surpassing $800 million worldwide at present and showing little sign of slowing down. It’s highly likely to hit the $400 million domestic milestone before its seventh weekend in domestic theaters, whereas the original movie had only made $225.3 million in North America by that point. Reaching this would make it one of the 50 highest-grossing domestic movies of all time.
The list of movies that have grossed over $400 million in North America includes 2013’s “Frozen” ($400.9 million) and 2015’s “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” ($936.7 million).
Given the lead that “Moana 2” has maintained over the first movie, debuting with $139.8 million compared to the original’s $56.6 million, it’s entirely possible that it could reach a domestic gross as high as $500 million by the end of its run. At the very least, it could pass the $450 million milestone, solidifying the “Moana” movies as another successful Disney franchise, similar to how Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” achieved record-breaking success earlier in the year.
“Moana 2” milestone is clear. While it does face competition from major movies like “Wicked”, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”, and Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King”, as the holiday season comes to an end, its route to continued prosperity is evident. There are currently no major movies scheduled to premiere in theaters until “Wolf Man” on January 17, and no new wide releases until January 10. This gives “Moana 2” at least two weekends to attract both new and repeat viewers as the holiday period wraps up.
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