UPDATE: 2025-07-31 11:20 EST BY LUKAS SHAYO
Moana 2 Makes A Big Splash At The Box Office, But Wicked And Gladiator II Remain Afloat
This article was originally written Saturday AM and has been updated Sunday AM with up-to-date box office projections (in bold), a full chart, and further analysis.
Moana 2continues to dominate the box office in its second weekend, whileWicked andGladiator IIlag behind. The Disney blockbuster was first released during the Thanksgiving holiday, and the latter two were released the week before. It was dominant in its first week, earning $221 million, and even broke the record for the highest-grossing five-day weekend of all time.Moana 2is showing the potential to break the coveted $1 billion mark, but it will be difficult if the movie cannot maintain a strong showing with tough competition on the horizon.
According to a report byVariety, this week’s box office is seeing immense success after a record-breaking Thanksgiving.Moana 2took first place at the box office with an expectedthree-day total of $52 million. That is officially the highest total any movie has earned following the Thanksgiving weekend. The movie already earned more than any other Thanksgiving release last weekend, making this total even more groundbreaking. The movie has also officially crossed the $300 million milestone at the box office.
While they dominated in their opening weekend,WickedandGladiatorcombined have struggled to matchMoana 2’s massive total. Still, they are expected to earn an incredibly remarkable$34.85 million and $12.4 million respectivelyover the weekend. That total is slightly less than predicted for the Roman blockbuster, whileWickedeasily exceeded expectations, thanks to strong word of mouth.Red OneandPushpa: The Rule — Part 2comprise the last pieces of the Top 5,earning under $10 million. Below, see the full domestic Top 5 chart for the weekend:
1
$52 million
$300 million
2
$34.85 million
$320.5 million
3
$12.4 million
$132.7 million
4
$7 million
$85.7 million
5
$5.5 million
Outside of the Top 5, other movies have seen challenges. A re-release ofInterstellartook the sixth spot with$4.4 million, andSolo Leveling-Reawakeningtook seventh with its$2.4 million take. A24’s latest release,Y2K, earned just$2.1 million, despite appearing in 2,108 theaters. That total is enough to bring it to the eighth overall spot. As with previous movies this year, sequels and established franchises are proving successful, while completely original releases are comparatively struggling.
What This Second Weekend Means For Moana 2
The Disney Sequel Continues To Make A Big Splash
Moana 2’s sophomore outing will marka 63% dropafter its incredible opening weekend. That is a far sharper decline thanInside Out 2’s 34.4% drop and could mark a worrying sign for the release. It will undoubtedly be a success, but the journey to $1 billion will depend on early profit. After all, December promises serious competition in the form ofMufasa: The Lion King,Sonic the Hedgehog 3, andThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Disney is depending on these early weeks to provide immensely, given thatMufasa’s releaseis also a $1 billion contender.
For a movie that was intended to be a Disney+ show, it is an incredible success already.
Still, the movie remains a record-breaker, so that worry could be overstated. The period after Thanksgiving weekend tends to be a lull point, giving room for the box office to grow in the coming weeks.Moana 2needs to earn $375 millionto profit against its $150 million budget after theaters and marketing budgets take their cuts. The domestic total alone should be more than enough to reach that point by the time the movie’s run finishes. For a project that was intended to be a Disney+ show, it is an incredible success already.
Our Take On The Weekend Box Office
Nothing Was Going To Stop Moana 2
There was never a chance for anything to topple Disney’s latest blockbuster. UnlessWickedandGladiator IImanaged to sustain Barbenheimer-like success,nothing that released this week that could challenge the sequel. Its only real lasting competition isInside Out 2, as it works to match the movie’s total to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.Moana 2continues the slow march to $1 billion, but it will have to depend on overseas totals to help achieve that mark. If it is not able to, it will likely still profit, thanks to strong domestic and overseas success.
Despite struggling to stand up to Disney’s hit animated success, the other offerings have also been remarkably successful.Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2has exceeded the original’s $1.32 million domestic sum by $4 million, and it is hard to overstate the success thatGladiatorandWickedare seeing in theaters.Red Oneis also continuing its crawl through the holiday season, though it has certainly lost some major support with its 45% drop. Unlike last week, which offered a strong five-day weekend, movies have been forced to get by on a far more limited three-day schedule.
Typically, the week after Thanksgiving weekend is a slow point for the box office. That has not been especially true this year.
After a weak year, the final months of 2024 seem to be a recovery for the box office. That problem could be partly attributed to poor offerings, asJoker: Folie à Deux,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,Argylle, and other potential hits all fell short of expectations. Part of the issuerelates to the 2023 strikes, as stalled productions left many movies delayed until late 2024.Inside Out 2andDeadpool & Wolverinemanaged to save the summer, much likeBarbieandOppenheimerdid a year ago, but these final two months could be the sustained recovery that theaters needed.
Moana 2
Cast
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
