The Walt Disney Co.’s animated film “Moana 2” remained at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theatres as it brought in another record haul.
The film added US$52 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings its domestic total to US$300 million, surpassing the original, and its global tally to a staggering US$600 million.
The amount set a record gross for a movie on the weekend following Thanksgiving weekend, unseating “Frozen II,” which earned US$35.2 million in the same time frame in 2019. The numbers are not adjusted for inflation. Originally conceived as a Disney+ series, “Moana 2” has already broken into the top five highest grossing releases of the year. Its performance means Disney has three films in this year’s top five, including “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The studio also has another big movie on the way before the year ends: Barry Jenkins’ “Mufasa,” out Dec. 20.
The weekend also showcased several new releases, including A24’s horror comedy “Y2K” and the Jude Law crime thriller “The Order.” But nothing was ever going to present significant competition to the enticing Thanksgiving leftovers, “Moana 2,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II.”
Second place at the box office was occupied by “Wicked,” which added US$34.9 million, bringing its domestic total to US$320.5 million in three weeks. Globally, the musical adaptation released by Universal is at US$455.6 million. “Gladiator II” followed in third place with US$12.5 million, while “Red One” came in fourth with US$7 million.
The newcomers struggled to make an impact. Even the 10th anniversary rerelease of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” which played in only 165 theatres, did better than “Y2K” (US$2.1 million) and “The Order” (US$888,000) combined. Paramount reported that the science fiction epic starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway brought in an estimated US$4.4 million. IMAX also noted that all the 70mm IMAX presentations of “Interstellar” were sold out through the weekend.
“I was thrilled so many moviegoers took advantage of the original IMAX experience of ‘Interstellar’ this weekend,” Nolan said in a statement.
Next weekend theaters are in for another influx of bigger movies, with both Sony’s comic book film “Kraven the Hunter” and the animated “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” opening in wide release. Awards contenders “Nickel Boys” and “September 5” will also open in a limited number of theaters.