'Moana 2' smashes box office records with $221m debut over Thanksgiving weekend

Ticket sales surpassed forecasts of $135-$145 million, debuting far above expectations

Movie theatres across the United States had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, as box office records were shattered in a spectacular opening weekend with Moana 2 animation movie.

Disney's Moana 2 smashed multiple milestones, earning an astonishing $221 million over its five-day domestic debut, setting a new high for Thanksgiving openings.

The film not only broke the record for the biggest five-day opening of all time but also secured the title for the largest Thanksgiving debut, the most successful Thanksgiving weekend (both three-day and five-day), the highest Thanksgiving day earnings, and the most profitable Black Friday at the box office.

The sequel to the 2016 hit Moana obliterated the previous Thanksgiving record set by 2019’s Frozen II ($125 million) and 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($109 million). It also claimed the title of the biggest five-day debut in cinema history, surpassing Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($205.6 million) from earlier this year.

The film’s three-day earnings of $135.5 million represent the best-ever opening for Walt Disney Animation, edging out Frozen II’s $130.2 million from the weekend before Thanksgiving. Ticket sales for Moana 2 far exceeded initial forecasts, which had predicted an opening of between $135 million and $145 million.

And the excitement doesn’t stop at the domestic box office. Moana 2 has made an impressive start internationally, opening with $165 million, bringing its global tally to a remarkable $386.3 million.

The film is the latest blockbuster in Disney's successful 2024 slate, following the massive successes of Inside Out 2 ($1.6 billion) and Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.3 billion) earlier in the year. These hits have helped the studio bounce back from a difficult 2023, which saw a string of underperforming films such as The Marvels, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Wish, and Haunted Mansion.

The success of Moana 2 is particularly sweet for Disney, as the film had originally been conceived as a television show for Disney+ before being reworked into a theatrical feature. The first Moana film, released in 2016, earned a solid $82 million over the extended Thanksgiving weekend and went on to gross $680 million globally.

However, its true cultural impact came later, as it became a streaming sensation. In 2023, Moana was the most-streamed film of the year in the U.S., with 11.6 billion minutes watched, according to Nielsen data.

With the franchise continuing to capture hearts, Disney is also working on a live-action remake of the original Moana, slated for release in 2026.