Moana 2 was originally a Disney+ show. Disney CEO Bob Iger explained that Moana 2 transformed out of a Disney+ show as he and other studio executives were impressed by early footage and thought it deserved a theatrical release.

Iger and other Disney executives were also confident in Moana 2 as the original movie had been watched for over 1 billion hours on Disney+ and was streamed more than any movie on all streaming platforms in 2023. That confidence has paid off given Wicked and Gladiator II's box office battle. Moana 2 has already shattered numerous records and is poised to break even more as the sequel's theatrical run continues.

How Moana 2 Made $386 Million Worldwide In Its Box Office Opening

High Anticipation And An Ideal Release Date Worked Well

In its five-day opening period, Moana 2 grossed $386 million worldwide, including $221 domestically and $165 internationally (via Box Office Mojo). The sequel debuted in theaters on November 27, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. While the family-friendly sequel would likely have performed well at any time of the year, the domestic box office had the advantage of the movie releasing during a long weekend when children were on Thanksgiving break and many adults were off from work. Moana 2 was the perfect movie for families and individuals of all ages to see during Thanksgiving weekend.

The original movie's popularity in 2016 and the extensive viewership on Disney+ continued to be prevalent and translated into a high number of viewers going to see the sequel in theaters during opening week. This success was previously indicated to happen by Moana 2's ticket pre-sales, which, by October 30, were already the highest of any 2024 animated movie, almost a full month before the movie's release. Moana is also popular with both domestic and international audiences, which is affirmed by the respective box office results.

Every Box Office Record Moana 2's Opening Weekend Broke

The Sequel Broke Domestic, International, And Worldwide Records

As per Disney and Comscore (via The Hollywood Reporter), Moana 2's $221 million domestic opening marks an all-time best five-day debut and the biggest five-day Thanksgiving earner of all time, which includes movies that were in theaters prior to Thanksgiving weekend. The latter record was held by Frozen II at $125 million, which is easily exceeded by Moana 2's $221 million. Even more impressive is Moana 2 having the biggest Thanksgiving nationwide opening ever as it quickly eclipsed the original Frozen's $93.6 million.

Moana 2 had the biggest global opening ever for an animated movie, the biggest Black Friday gross of all time, the biggest Thanksgiving Day gross of all time, and the biggest opening day gross for a Disney animated movie. Frozen II was sured in all five of these categories, except for the biggest global opening of an animated movie. In international markets, Moana 2 had the best opening of all time for an animated movie in , the second biggest in Italy and Brazil, and the best ever for a Disney animated movie in the Latin American region.

Moana 2's Worldwide Opening Beat The Super Mario Bros. Movie's Record

The Super Mario Bros. Movie's Success Came At A Worrisome Time For Disney

Prior to Moana 2, The Super Mario Bros. Movie held the record for the biggest worldwide opening of an animated movie at $377 million. The Super Mario Bros. Movie clinched this title in April 2023, at a time when Disney's animated movies were struggling at the box office following the financial disappointments of Lightyear and Strange World in 2022. It is a major triumph for an animated Disney movie to have now dethroned The Super Mario Bros. Movie from this record.

While Moana 2 breaking records held by Frozen and Frozen II is impressive, it is arguably more important for Disney's newest animated movie to have outperformed the competition from other studios.

In addition to previously having the biggest global opening for an animated movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had the biggest five-day domestic debut record at $204 million. While Moana 2 breaking records held by Frozen and Frozen II is impressive, it is arguably more important for Disney's newest animated movie to have outperformed the competition from other studios. It will be intriguing to see how many other The Super Mario Bros. Movie's box office milestones can be sured by Moana 2.

How Moana 2's 3-Day Opening Weekend Compares To Inside Out 2 & Other Disney Animated Movies

2024 Has Been A Stellar Year For Disney Animated Movies

Moana 2's opening success comes on the heels of Inside Out 2, which is the highest grossing movie of 2024 and the eighth highest grossing movie of all time with $1.7 billion earned worldwide (via Disney Pixar sequel become the top-earning movie of 2024 and among the top 10 of all time.

Inside Out 2 is also the highest grossing animated movie of all time.

$139.7 million does exceed Frozen II's $130 million opening. Before Moana 2, Frozen II had been the last Disney animated movie released at Thanksgiving to be a box office success, as Encanto, Strange World, and Wish struggled to meet the studio's box office expectations. Moana 2 crushed these three movies' respective openings of $27 million, $12 million, and $19.5 million. In the same year as Frozen II, Disney had another animated box office hit with Pixar's Toy Story 4, whose $118 million is now beaten by Moana 2.

How Moana 2's Box Office Compares To The First Movie So Far

The Sequel Is Already Closing In On The First Movie's Numbers

As a sequel featuring beloved characters, Moana 2 was already a known quantity, and therefore had a bigger box office opening than Moana, which opened to $56.6 million. The first movie went on to make an impressive $248.7 domestically, $394.6 internationally, and $643.3 million worldwide. Meanwhile, Moana 2's $386 million is already more than half of Moana's total gross. Moana 2 will definitely sur Moana's global earnings, and it will probably not take long for that to happen.

The same applies to comparisons of the domestic and international grosses for the first and second movies. Moana 2's $221 million domestic opening is swiftly closing in on the original movie's $248.7 total. The $165 million international opening will take more time, but not that long, to catch up to the predecessor's $394.6 million. Moana 2's box office will end up being substantially bigger than Moana, which raises the bar for the all-but-confirmed release of Moana 3.

Will Moana 2 Make $1 Billion At The Box Office & Can It Beat Inside Out 2's Record?

Beating Inside Out 2's Record Is A Tall Order

After making $386 million in five days, there is little doubt that Moana 2 will make at least $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The family-friendly appeal should help the sequel continue to do well in the coming weeks and throughout the holiday period. On December 20, the releases of Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will provide some new competition, but Moana 2 should still have legs at the box office that will carry it through December and into January.

Moana 2 is not guaranteed to match Inside Out 2's numbers, but the latest Disney animated movie is already an undeniable box office success.

As for whether Moana 2 can beat Inside Out 2's $1.7 billion record, that is less certain. One way that Disney can try to make this happen is by not making Moana 2 available to stream on Disney+ until 100 days after release. The long-term theatrical exclusivity helped sustain Inside Out 2's box office. Moana 2 is not guaranteed to match Inside Out 2's numbers, but the latest Disney animated movie is already an undeniable box office success.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo,