Moana 2 made big waves at the box office this week.
The Walt Disney Animation Studios film — which takes audiences on another epic adventure across the sea with Moana and Maui — opened at the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office this weekend, notching an estimated $225 million since opening on Wednesday.
That makes Moana 2 the highest 5-day opening of all time surpassing the $204.6 million of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the highest Thanksgiving opening weekend box office, beating Frozen’s $94 million total in 2014. It was also the highest 5-day Thanksgiving all-time box office, beating Frozen 2’s second weekend of $125 million in 2019.
Disney is now responsible for the top seven opening Thanksgiving weekends of all time as well as nine out of the top ten.
As for the global total of Moana 2, it has made $389 million worldwide so far. Moana 2 brought in the highest ever reported global animated opening weekend, beating the previous record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($377 million).
Moana 2’s record-setting performance also keeps Disney’s hot streak going at the box office this year. The company is now responsible for the top three domestic openings of 2024, with Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and now Moana 2.
“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that Moana has become,” Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, said. “We’re fortunate to have an incredibly talented and hard-working creative team at Disney Animation who brought this new adventure to life, alongside our wonderful stars Auli‘i and Dwayne and great new music. This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”
Away from the box office, the film was a hit with audiences as well. Moana 2 received an “A-” CinemaScore and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 87%.
The success of Moana 2 is just another example of the might of the sea-faring franchise.
Since hitting theaters in 2016, Moana has consistently been among the Top 10 most-streamed movies of the year —and in 2023, the film starring the voice talents of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+. In fact, it was the most streamed movie on any platform in the U.S.
However, the franchise’s popularity goes far beyond her onscreen appearances.
Not only are apparel, books, and toys offered at Disney Store and other retailers, but Moana’s story continues across the globe at Disney’s theme parks and soon guests can enjoy Disney The Tale of Moana aboard the Disney Treasure cruise ship, which will bring Moana’s musical journey to the stage for the very first time.
“Seeing the popularity of Moana grow since it was released eight years ago is incredible,” Jared Bush, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, said. “We spend so long making these movies, and everyone puts their heart into them. That people still find themselves in her story and want to be with Moana on the canoe, it’s a dream come true.”
