We all know folks complain that Disney relies on nostalgia or repeatedly rehashes old ideas, but when the money is this impressive, no one can blame them.
Moana 2 is quickly becoming another massive hit for Disney this year. They are the only studio with billion-dollar hits this year, and while the Moana sequel has some time to catch up to Inside Out 2 and the superhero sequel Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s only a matter of time if these numbers hold.
The Moana follow-up sailed into the Seven Seas with a wildly impressive $389 million worldwide opening, the biggest ever for an animated movie. It overtakes the previous record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which brought in $377 million on a 5-day domestic start like Moana 2.
These opening numbers are impressive by Disney’s standards: this is a record opening for a Walt Disney Animation movie, beating Frozen 2‘s $130.3 million take. With this, Disney now holds the top 7 Thanksgiving debuts of all time and 9 of the top 10. This is also something the film has over its peers. It bests Wicked‘s global numbers and is a hit for families worldwide. It has the second-highest opening weekend of the year, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine.
SEE ALSO: Six Disney Animated Sequels That Are Worth A Watch
Disney’s three biggest hits this year have all been sequels, showing the brand can still cash in on what they see as sure bets. While original outings like Wish or expectation subverting like Lightyear haven’t clicked with viewers, these safer choices have banked big.
Moana 2 was once destined for a Disney+ series, but the substantial numbers of the streaming service were a sign that it should be released at cinemas instead of relying on another series that comes and goes. That proved to be the better choice, and it shows that the studio isn’t falling back on Disney+ for everything.
Is the sequel method too much? If it gets audiences back into the theaters, it could be seen as a win for those pushing to stay alive and for the studio trying to find its footing again.
2025 will serve as a good test, with the studio having the original film Elio and the long-awaited sequel Zootopia 2 set for release. If the sequel dominates while the original flounders, Moana 2 isn’t a fluke but the right path.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
