Box Office Blowout: Moana 2 and Wicked Dominate in Record-Breaking Weekend
#image_title

Box Office Blowout: Moana 2 and Wicked Dominate in Record-Breaking Weekend


Share this post

Walt Disney Animation’s Moana 2 continues its extraordinary run, smashing records in its second weekend with a global haul of $600 million. This figure surpasses the entire lifetime earnings of the first Moana film, which grossed $582 million at current exchange rates.

In North America, Moana 2 secured its spot at No. 1 with a weekend gross of $52 million from 4,300 theaters—the highest post-Thanksgiving weekend gross in history, leaving the previous record-holder, Disney’s Frozen II ($35.1 million), far behind. By Friday, the sequel's domestic earnings hit $11.7 million, surpassing the original Moana's lifetime domestic total of $248.7 million in just 10 days. While the film saw a 63% drop from its Thanksgiving weekend performance, it remains a powerhouse.

Internationally, Moana 2 added $103.4 million to its foreign tally, bringing its overseas total to $300 million and its global earnings to $600 million. Already, the animated blockbuster is the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year, joining Disney's other major successes, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine, in the top five.

Universal’s Wicked also continued its remarkable run, earning $34.9 million from 3,885 theaters in its third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $320.5 million. The film, based on the beloved Broadway musical, made history by becoming the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all time, overtaking Grease ($188 million, unadjusted for inflation). Internationally, Wicked earned $26.9 million, bringing its global total to $455.5 million.

These two blockbusters, along with Paramount’s Gladiator II, have bolstered domestic box office revenues, pushing overall earnings 90% above the same frame in 2023. After earlier concerns that the year’s total revenue might fall short of $8 billion (compared to $9 billion in 2023), estimates now suggest a more promising $8.5–$8.6 billion—just a 4% deficit year-over-year.

Gladiator II held steady at third place with $12.4 million from 3,440 theaters, bringing its domestic total to $133.7 million.

Additional Highlights

Paramount celebrated the 10th anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar with an Imax rerelease, which generated an impressive $4.5 million from just 166 theaters. The rerelease had the highest per-theater average of the weekend at $70,000, with every showing selling out.

On a less triumphant note, A24’s horror-comedy Y2K, directed by Kyle Mooney, struggled in its debut. The film earned just $2.1 million from 2,108 locations and received a lukewarm C- CinemaScore, landing in ninth place and failing to capture audiences’ enthusiasm.

The Takeaway

With Moana 2 and Wicked leading the charge, and strong contributions from Gladiator II, the 2024 box office is on track for a robust finish, fueled by a mix of new hits and nostalgia-driven rereleases.


Share this post
Comments

Be the first to know

Join our community and get notified about upcoming stories

Subscribing...
You've been subscribed!
Something went wrong
Rihanna Surpasses 100 Million Monthly Spotify Listeners for the First Time

Rihanna Surpasses 100 Million Monthly Spotify Listeners for the First Time

Rihanna has officially joined Spotify’s most elite club — surpassing 100 million monthly listeners for the first time ever. Rihanna is now the 11th artist in Spotify history to pass 100 million monthly listeners, joining a lineup of legends like Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Ed Sheeran. It’s been nearly a decade since her last studio album ANTI dropped in 2016, yet her presence on the charts hasn’t faded one bit. What’s wild is that Rihanna has only released four fea


O A

U.S. Revokes Visas Over Comments Made About Charlie Kirk’s Death

U.S. Revokes Visas Over Comments Made About Charlie Kirk’s Death

The Trump administration has cancelled the visas of at least six people for public comments made about the murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. In a post on X, the US Department of State wrote: "The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans." It shared screenshots of six social media posts which it said were examples of foreign visa holders welcoming Kirk's death in September, and suggested further visa cancellations would follow. Kirk, an ally of


O A

Nicki Minaj Says She’s Quitting Music After Jay-Z and Roc Nation Rant

Nicki Minaj Says She’s Quitting Music After Jay-Z and Roc Nation Rant

Nicki Minaj has shocked fans by announcing she’s walking away from music altogether. The rapper took to X on Wednesday to reveal she’s canceling her next album after calling out Jay-Z and Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez in a fiery online outburst. They came BEGGING the QUEEN for a tour & album & I said NOPE!!!!! LMFAO. Wanted to patch it up. They needed help from the QUEEN & the BARBZ. I called the Barbz on the secret BARB phone & it was a resounding NOOOOOOOO. just like the casinooooooooooooooooo


O A

Beyoncé Pays Tribute to D’Angelo Following His Passing

Beyoncé Pays Tribute to D’Angelo Following His Passing

Beyoncé shares an emotional tribute following the passing of D’Angelo. D’Angelo passed away at the age of 51. According to reports, the Neo-soul pioneer passed following a a private battle with pancreatic cancer. “Rest in peace, Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world of music as the inimitable D’Angelo. We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry,” Beyonce writes via her website. “You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and trans


O A