Will 'Moana 2' break box office records?

Moana 2 is expected to dominate the Thanksgiving holiday box office with a historic performance. Moana 2 was originally developed as a TV series for Disney+ before being adapted into a theatrical film, and is expected to earn at least $175 million in its first five days of release.

Scene from the movie Moana 2

If it hits those numbers, Moana 2 will easily break the record for the biggest Thanksgiving opening of all time, surpassing previous records set by Frozen II ($125 million in the first five days) and Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($109 million in the same five days). Moana 2 's opening day in North America ranks as the third-biggest animated film, behind Incredibles 2 ($71.2 million) and Inside Out 2 ($63.6 million). Globally, Moana 2 has grossed $66.3 million.

But the animated blockbuster directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller isn’t the only thing sparking a revival at the box office. “Wicked ,” Universal’s big-budget musical adaptation of the Broadway hit, grossed $20.4 million on November 27 and $97 million in five days through November 22, and is expected to top $63 million by Thanksgiving.

That means the first installment of the two-part Oz adventure will have grossed more than $240 million in the US over the weekend. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande play Elphaba and Galinda in the critically acclaimed musical. Wicked 2, which hits theaters next fall, cost a total of $300 million to produce, not including the tens of millions more spent on marketing.

Cynthia Erivo (left) and Ariana Grande in the movie Wicked

Next up is Gladiator II , Paramount's big-budget sequel to the 2000 epic, which grossed $6.6 million on November 27. The film, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington, is expected to earn $28 million at North American theaters this weekend. The film will end the holiday weekend with more than $107 million at the North American box office. However, Gladiator II didn't come cheap, costing $250 million to make.

Critics have been lukewarm on Moana 2 , giving it an average score of just 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. The first film has a devoted fan base that has grown significantly since its 2018 release thanks to streaming. According to Bloomberg , it is one of Disney+'s most popular films, with more than 80 billion minutes watched. Audiences seem to have a better feeling about the sequel than critics, giving it an A- CinemaScore.

Paul Mescal stars in Gladiator II

The voice cast for Moana 2 includes Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, who reprise their roles as the daughter of a Polynesian chief and a demigod. Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote hits for the first film like How Far I'll Go , did not contribute new material for the sequel. Instead, Disney tapped Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear to write enough new songs to make the soundtrack a must-buy for families this holiday season.

The impressive performances of Moana 2 , Gladiator II , and Wicked are welcome news for an industry that is just beginning to recover from the pandemic shutdown, when the 2023 actors' and writers' strikes led to a series of delayed releases and fewer big movies hitting theaters. But the trio of blockbusters is changing the landscape and will generate a Thanksgiving box office total of more than $315 million, setting a new milestone.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/moana-2-se-pha-vo-ky-luc-doanh-thu-phong-ve-185241129104405.htm