Box Office: ‘Moana 2’ Easily Toppling Thanksgiving Week Records After Scoring Massive $57.5 Million Opening Day
Moana 2 tops Thanksgiving records with $57.5M opening. Wicked and Gladiator II also draw audiences.
Disney's "Moana 2" has achieved a significant box office milestone by generating $57.5 million on its opening day and is anticipated to dominate the Thanksgiving holiday period, with projections suggesting it could acquire $175-200 million over five days. It ranks as the third biggest opening day for an animated film and has a global earnings of $66.3 million. Despite receiving a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was positively received by audiences who gave it an A- CinemaScore.
"Wicked," Universal's adaptation of the Broadway hit, earned $20.4 million on its opening day and is likely to gross over $97 million over five days. The high-budget "Gladiator II" is estimated to gather $40 million from North American theater earnings by the end of the Thanksgiving week. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson's "Red One" is potentially a box office disappointment, projected to earn $75 million after considerable production expenses.
The strong performances of these films, such as "Moana 2," along with releases like "Wicked" and "Gladiator II," have breathed new life into theaters. This positive turn reflects a cultural momentum that encourages cinema attendance post-pandemic. The trio of movies collectively represents over $315 million in holiday week revenue, suggesting a significant milestone and encouraging signs of recovery for the film industry.