Moana 2 dominates the box office despite fierce competition

In the United States, the animated film Moana 2 led the box office for its second weekend, earning an impressive $52 million. This remarkable performance elevated its domestic total to $300 million, exceeding the original film's earnings. Moana 2's global earnings reached a staggering $600 million, setting a record for the highest gross during the weekend following Thanksgiving, surpassing the previous record held by Frozen II in 2019. Notably, the film was initially intended to be a Disney+ series but has now become one of the highest-grossing releases of the year, joining other top films released by Disney this year. Moreover, the film's popularity drew audience attention away from several new releases that struggled at the box office. For instance, the horror comedy Y2K and the crime thriller The Order failed to make a significant impact, with their earnings trailing behind even the 10th anniversary re-release of Interstellar. Despite their attempts to compete, the established power of Moana 2, alongside other popular titles like Wicked and Gladiator II, demonstrated the challenges new films face when going up against well-established hits during this lucrative box office period. In comparison, Wicked, which came in second place, earned $34.9 million, pushing its domestic total to $320.5 million in just three weeks, while its global performance reached $455.6 million. Gladiator II and Red One followed, with earnings of $12.5 million and $7 million, respectively. The overall box office landscape for this period indicated not only the strength of the family-friendly animated feature films but also signaled the strong position of Disney in the current film market with at least three films in the top five highest-grossing releases of the year. With more highly anticipated films set for release soon, including Sony's Kraven the Hunter and the animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the competition for box office dominance is expected to intensify. The performance of Moana 2 highlights the significant draw that animated films have for audiences during the holiday season and the powerful brand appeal of the Disney franchise.