Walt Disney’s animated musical “Moana 2” has made a remarkable entrance at the box office, generating approximately $368 million in global ticket sales over the Thanksgiving weekend. This success, alongside the performances of “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” has resulted in the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend for theaters in the U.S. and Canada.
The sequel to the beloved 2016 film, “Moana 2” features Auli’i Cravalho reprising her role as the adventurous Moana, who is joined by demigod Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. Together, they embark on a journey to lift a curse and reunite the ocean’s inhabitants.
Originally planned as a Disney+ exclusive, “Moana 2” saw a domestic ticket haul of $221 million during the Thanksgiving period from Wednesday to Sunday, surpassing the $125 million earned by “Frozen 2” in 2019.
In total, the weekend’s box office reached $420 million for all films, breaking the previous Thanksgiving record of $315.6 million set in 2018, which featured “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Creed II.”
The extraordinary results offer a ray of hope to Hollywood after a challenging period marked by pandemic-related theater closures and hesitance to return to cinemas. The success of this weekend reinforces the notion that audiences are eager to experience heartwarming and humorous films in theaters. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman emphasized the importance of creating films that resonate with viewers.
The figures also indicate a recovery for Hollywood following a tumultuous year of strikes that affected production schedules. Looking ahead, next year’s movie schedule appears lean, but the holiday season is set to welcome several new films that could maintain the momentum. Potential upcoming releases include “Kraven the Hunter,” the animated feature “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” and “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
While domestic ticket sales for 2024 still trail behind pre-pandemic numbers, this Thanksgiving weekend signals a positive trend, offering optimism for the film industry’s future.
Overall, this monumental holiday weekend not only restores confidence in theaters but also suggests that the industry is poised for continued growth and resurgence, warmly welcoming moviegoers back to the big screen.
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