Disney’s Moana 2 cruised to a record Thanksgiving opening, bringing in an estimated $221 million over the five-day holiday frame.
For the weekend, the animated family film earned $135.5 million in three days, box office tracking company Comscore reported Sunday.
Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian called this a “monumental” weekend for theaters.
Related: ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ Power Pre-Thanksgiving Box Office With Combined $172M Debut
The sequel to 2016’s Moana features the voices of Auli’i Cravalho in the title role and Dwayne Johnson as Maui.
The new film follows lead character Moana, who must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
The movie shattered expectations, after analysts projected it would earn between $120 million and $150 million over five days.
No other film has come close to what Moana 2 accomplished. Frozen II held the previous five-day Thanksgiving record with $125 million in 2019.
Critics gave the new movie mixed reviews and a 65 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jacob Oller of the AV Club described it as “a ramshackle Franken-ship.”
But Kathia Woods of The Philadelphia Tribune called the film “a fun ride” for families.
Audiences embraced the animated Polynesian adventure, giving it a strong “A-” CinemaScore.
Actor Dwayne Johnson said he was humbled by the reception.
“Your reactions around the world for #MOANA2 is off the charts wild and deeply humbling at the same time. It’s our Polynesian culture, our people & representation to a global audience,” Johnson wrote on X.
Moana 2 wasn’t the only big draw this weekend. Wicked and Gladiator II continued to bring in big crowds.
Wicked slipped to second place with a massive domestic total of $117.5 million between Wednesday and Sunday, and $80 million for the weekend, Comscore reported.
Also in its second week, Gladiator II claimed third place with $44 million over five days and $30.7 million over the three-day weekend.
Christmas comedy Red One, also starring Dwayne Johnson, slipped to fourth place with $12.9 million for the weekend.
Keeping with the holiday theme, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever rounded out the top five with $3.2 million for the weekend.
Check out the box office chart below from Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian:
.@Comscore @csMoviesUS @CSGlobalMovies reports a monumental #Thanksgiving weekend (and week) for movie theatres! Please note this weekend’s overall total estimated 3-day Domestic box office is around $272M (5-day at an estimated $420M) & YTD 2024 (now at $7.781B through Sunday)… pic.twitter.com/KwJHCJrhxy
— Paul Dergarabedian (@PDergarabedian) December 1, 2024
