Disney Has a Lot to Be Thankful for as ‘Moana 2’ Gets off to a Historic Start at the Box Office

Less than 24 hours after arriving in theaters, Disney’s Moana 2 is already making quite the splash.

The highly anticipated film delivered $92.2 million at the box office today, shattering expectations and box office records. That number was the second highest-grossing day of the year for a film, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine’s $118.3 million on July 26.

Moana 2 got off to a historic start yesterday, delivering a $57.5 million debut. That number was the third-best opening ever for an animated movie behind Incredibles 2 ($71.2 million) and Inside Out 2 (63.5 million).

Image: Pixar

The long-awaited Moana sequel is now tracking towards a 5-day opening of $175 to $200 million. Whether or not the film can reach the high end of that spectrum will depend on how well it does on Black Friday.

Regardless, Moana 2 will shortly become the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release ever.

Disney Keeps the Good Times Rolling

While expectations for Moana 2 were already sky-high, the sequel has already blown past them. Buoyed by the continuing popularity of the first Moana film and an A- CinemaScore, it now looks like a historic box office run could be in the film’s future.

Photo: Disney

For Disney, Moana 2 is just the latest hit in a string of historic successes. Earlier this year, Inside Out 2 grossed nearly $1.7 billion and became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Photo: Marvel

Deadpool & Wolverine then kept the good times rolling with a $1.34 billion box office gross, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

How Far Can ‘Moana 2’ Sail

With a strong start behind it, the big question for Moana 2 will now be whether or not the film can reach the heights and perhaps surpass Inside Out 2. Based on the early results, it would be foolish to rule the idea out.

Photo: Disney