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 countless records, the sequel will boast the hugegest five-day debut in history — besting The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($204.6 million) — as well become the top Thanksgiving uncovering and obtainer of all time, beating Frozen ($93.6 million) and Frozen II ($125 million).
The family-fueled movie is coming in well ahead of awaitations, to put it temperately. Heading into the weekfinish, the music-infengaged 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. Thcimpolite Friday alone, it has obtained $192.7 million globassociate, including $140 million domesticassociate 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 triumph for the domestic box office. For now, the current record-hbetterer is Thanksgiving 2018, when domestic revenue accomplished $316 million. The Moanapocalypse-Glicked phenomenon shows how much the labelet can enhuge when there are movies that have wide yet varied request, as Barbenheimer did last year.
Wicked alone is set to gross $118.4 million for the five days after uncovering to a record-smashing $112 million last weekfinish, putting its domestic haul at $263 million thcimpolite Sunday and an appraised $358 million globassociate. In yet another milestone, it is passing up Grease ($188.2 million) to become the top Broadway musical changeation of all time domesticassociate. Females, and particularly betterer females, persist to produce up a huge swath of the audience. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the musical stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
The Ridley Scott-honested 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 cforfeitly $400 million globassociate. The male-sketriumphg film’s high-profile cast take parts Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal.
Moana 2 was originassociate enhugeed as a television series before being retoiled as a theatrical sequel. The first Moana — which take partd innovative songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda — was a firm but not spectacular carry outer at the box office in 2016 before changeing into a cultural sensation. It went on to become the most streamed film atraverse all platcreates in 2023. Moana 2 features novel songs from Ahugeail 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 pursues Moana as she embarks on an unawaited adventure in extfinished-lost waters after receiving a call from her ancestors. Johnson repascfinishs his role as demigod Maui.
For 48 more hours, the five-day Thanksgiving uncovering record still beextfinisheds to sister Disney Animation title Frozen. Frozen II, which uncovered the weekfinish before the holiday, versus midweek, currently hbetters the five-day record with $125 million in ticket sales.
Rewatchers haven’t been charitable to Moana 2, contrastd to the first film, but it is challengingly impacting interest. The movie’s audience score (now comprehendn as the “popcornmeter”) on Rotten Tomatoes is already at 88 percent, while it obtained an A- CinemaScore (contrastd to an A for Moana) and is garnering mighty 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 adviseing Red One, which stars the createer 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 thcimpolite Sunday. The film is now in its third weekfinish.
Lionsgate’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will round out the top five with an appraised $5 million for a domestic loftyy of $32.2 million thcimpolite its fourth weekfinish.
Numbers will be refreshd Sunday morning.
