All the Records Moana 2 Has Broken as Walt Disney Rakes in $225 Million

Walt Disney Animation’s latest animated movie Moana 2 has shattered multiple Box Office records. It proves that its audience can’t get enough of the fearless voyager and her demigod companion. The sequel sailed past expectations with an extraordinary $225 million five-day domestic opening, making it just the beginning of its record-breaking journey.

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Historic Five-Day Opening of Moana 2 Sets New Industry Standard

Moana 2 didn’t just break records – it obliterated all of its competitors. The film’s $225 million five-day opening became the highest of all time. It even surpassed The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s previous record of $294 million.

Even more impressive, Moana 2’s Thanksgiving weekend performance doubled Frozen’s previous record. It shows just how much audiences were craving this unexpected sequel.

What’s really mind-blowing here is that nobody saw this coming. I mean, talk about a glow-up. The success proves family-friendly adventure stories still have massive pulling power at theatres, especially when they are crafted well. And to be honest – who doesn’t want to see more of Moana and Maui’s chemistry on the big screen?

Thanksgiving Records Fall Like Coconuts

Records continued to tumble as Moana 2 dominated the holiday weekend. The film scored the highest Thanksgiving Day gross ever with $28 million, nearly doubling Frozen II’s previous record of $15 million. Black Friday brought even more success, as Moana 2 pulled in $54.5 million, easily surpassing Frozen II’s $34.2 million record.

These numbers are absolutely bonkers when you think about it. While everyone else was stuffing their faces with turkey, families were packing theaters to watch Moana’s latest adventure. And Black Friday? People were busting down theater doors instead. The fact that it crushed Frozen II’s numbers is particularly impressive since that film was considered the ultimate Disney holiday powerhouse.

It’s a loss for Elsa, but it looks like Moana is the new queen of Thanksgiving weekend.

Global Box Office Makes Waves for Moana 2

Moana 2’s success was not limited to domestic shores only. The sequel captured an impressive $389 million globally, setting a new record for the biggest worldwide opening for an animated film. This pushed Moana 2 past Super Mario Bros.’ previous record of $377 million.

The film opened at #1 in almost every market, with particularly strong showings in France, where it achieved the biggest animated opening of time.

[Also Read: 5 Animated Movies That Deserved a Sequel (But Never Got One)!]

Disney Animation’s New Champion Moana 2

Within the Walt Disney Animation Studios family, Moana 2 now stands as the undisputed box office champion. The film’s $139.7 million three-day weekend opening surpassed Frozen II’s previous record of $130.3 million. The sequel’s preview earnings of $13.8 million also set a new record for Walt Disney Animation releases.

Who would’ve thought a planned Disney+ series would transform into one of the biggest theatrical hits of 2024? But here’s the kicker – when the original Moana became 2023’s streaming champion, dominating every platform out there, Disney executives clearly had their “aha!” moment.

The switch from streaming to theatrical release turned out to be pure box office magic, proving that sometimes the best adventures deserve the biggest screen possible. Now Moana 2 isn’t just riding waves – it’s creating tsunamis at theaters worldwide, with new records washing up almost daily.

Box office records aren’t the only thing Moana 2 is crushing – the sequel is winning hearts left and right. Theater audiences gave it a glowing ‘A-‘ CinemaScore (pretty much a standing ovation in movie-rating terms), while the crowd over at Rotten Tomatoes pushed the audience score to a stellar 87%.

Moana 2 is now inviting everyone to join Moana and Maui on their latest adventure while continuing to add to its impressive list of records.