Box Office Magic: ‘Moana 2’ Tops Biggest Thanksgiving Ever, Eyes Record $215M-$220M Bow

In a Thanksgiving feast for the ages, movie ticket sales are hitting an all-time high at the domestic box office, led by Walt Disney Animation’s instant mega-hit Moana 2.

Disney’s fantasy musical Moana 2 is headed for a holiday debut of $215 million to $220 million. Set to shatter numerous records, the sequel will boast the biggest five-day debut in history — besting The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6 million) — as well become the top Thanksgiving opening and earner of all time, beating Frozen ($93.6 million) and Frozen II ($125 million).

The family-fueled movie is coming in well ahead of expectations, to put it mildly. Heading into the weekend, the music-infused pic was tracking for a five-day holiday debut in the $125 million to $135 million range, which would already have been a record-buster. Through Friday alone, it has earned $192.7 million globally, including $140 million domestically and $52.7 million overseas.

Thanks to the potent combination of Moana 2, Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II, overall five-day revenue will come in north of $425 million in an unparalleled post-pandemic victory for the domestic box office. For now, the current record-holder is Thanksgiving 2018, when domestic revenue reached $316 million. The Moanapocalypse-Glicked phenomenon proves how much the market can expand when there are movies that have broad yet varied appeal, as Barbenheimer did last year.

Wicked alone is set to gross $118.4 million for the five days after opening to a record-smashing $112 million last weekend, putting its domestic haul at $263 million through Sunday and an estimated $358 million globally. In yet another milestone, it is passing up Grease ($188.2 million) to become the top Broadway musical adaptation of all time domestically. Females, and particularly older females, continue to make up a large swath of the audience. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the musical stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

The Ridley Scott-directed Gladiator II is perched in third place and should carve up a pleasing $45 million for the five days for a domestic total of $112 million and nearly $400 million globally. The male-skewing film’s high-profile cast includes Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal.

Moana 2 was originally developed as a television series before being reworked as a theatrical sequel. The first Moana — which included original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda — was a solid but not spectacular performer at the box office in 2016 before transforming into a cultural sensation. It went on to become the most streamed film across all platforms in 2023. Moana 2 features new songs from Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and counts Christina Chen and Yvett Merino as producers.

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the sequel reunites voice stars Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The story follows Moana as she embarks on an unexpected adventure in long-lost waters after receiving a call from her ancestors. Johnson reprises his role as demigod Maui.

For 48 more hours, the five-day Thanksgiving opening record still belongs to sister Disney Animation title Frozen. Frozen II, which opened the weekend before the holiday, versus midweek, currently holds the five-day record with $125 million in ticket sales.

Reviewers haven’t been kind to Moana 2, compared to the first film, but it is hardly impacting interest. The movie’s audience score (now known as the “popcornmeter”) on Rotten Tomatoes is already at 88 percent, while it earned an A- CinemaScore (compared to an A for Moana) and is garnering strong exits on PostTrak. Its critics score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 66 percent, versus 95 percent for the first film.

Johnson has two movies in the top five. Amazon MGM Studios’ holiday offering Red One, which stars the former WWE champ and Chris Evans, is set to come in fourth with a five-day haul of $19 million for a domestic total of $76.4 million through Sunday. The film is now in its third weekend.

Lionsgate’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will round out the top five with an estimated $5 million for a domestic tally of $32.2 million through its fourth weekend.

Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.