The box office has seen a strong resurgence in the past two weeks due to movies such as Wicked and Gladiator 2, but Moana 2 seems to be having the most significant influence. Many expected the sequel to have a successful opening weekend, but probably did not anticipate such a massive debut on its first full day, exceeding the record set by Disney’s Frozen 2. According to Deadline, Moana 2 is projected to earn between $215 and $220 million over five days, with $54.5 million generated on Black Friday alone, surpassing the records set by Frozen 2.
The impressive Friday box office earnings of Moana 2 caused Disney to increase their 5-day prediction to $215 to $220 million, with a projected 3-day total of around $140 million. This would mark Dwayne Johnson’s second best debut after Furious 7 ($147.1 million).
Moana 2’s 54.5 million in Black Friday earnings now ranks as the top Black Friday box office hit, surpassing Frozen 2’s $34.1 million. When it comes to the 5-day box office results, Moana 2 surpasses Frozen 2 by earning more than its $125 million total. If the new projected amount of $215 million is accurate, Moana 2 will break the record for the best Thanksgiving 5-day performance for any movie, whether it be a new release or a film already in theaters. It will also have the largest 5-day opening ever, surpassing the $204.6 million earned by the Super Mario Bros Movie.
This is clearly positive for the overall box office, and the best part is that Moana 2’s success is not negatively affecting Wicked or Gladiator, as they continue to do well. Wicked is projected to earn $118 million during the 5-day period, ranking it third for the top five-day earnings for Thanksgiving films, following behind Frozen 2 and Moana 2.
