Disney Headlines for December 3rd, 2024
The Walt Disney Company has a real chance to do something nearly unprecedented in Hollywood.
Should Moana 2 continue on its current trajectory, Disney could feasibly claim the TOP THREE films of the year.
Photo: Disney
The only recent example of this occurred in 2019, and the studio who did it was…Disney.
Somehow, after five years of everyone swearing that Disney had lost its way, we’ve found ourselves right back where we were before the pandemic.
In this week’s Disney Headlines, we’ll discuss Moana 2’s stunning success as well as how far Disney has come in just a year.
A Jaw-Dropping Success
Photo: Billboard
MickeyBlog’s podcast is on hiatus right now, but there’s video floating around of me discussing the power of the Moana brand.
As I mentioned multiple times, Moana was THE most streamed movie of 2023.
That’s impressive in and of itself, but it’s that much more remarkable once we remember that the film came out in 2016.
What percentage of recent Hollywood releases can claim a similar amount of staying power?
MOANA 2 – © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The list is so small that it may just include Moana, which is a tribute to the film itself as well as the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In February, Disney revealed the existence of Moana 2. It was quite the surprise.
Disney
We’d known since Disney+ Day in 2020 that a Moana television series was in the offing.
Its transition to a theatrical release hadn’t been a consideration, though.
Photo: Disney
Still, the instant Disney announced it, our staff collectively shouted, “YES!” because we knew how well the film would do.
Moana has remained a powerhouse because it’s such a well-crafted, charming adventure with an unforgettable soundtrack.
Disney
Disney recognized this and made a determination. Miranda wouldn’t have a chance to work on the music for this film.
Film executives decided to switch the story to a theatrical release anyway, knowing full well that it would lack a touch of the magic.
Photo: Disney
That’s an acceptable trade for a very good movie, one audiences gave a solid A- Cinemascore.
Disney cashed in on Moana’s popularity by following a previous historical precedent: Toy Story 2.
Photo: Pixar
That film had also been intended for a different kind of release, one on home video.
Disney didn’t own Pixar at the time but recommended that Toy Story 2 receive a theatrical release. The rest is box office history.
About That History…
I’m mentioning that precedent for a secondary reason as well.
Toy Story 2 debuted with $80 million during its five days in theaters, which happened to be…Thanksgiving Week.
For its part, Disney actually made a slight error in judgment here.
Executives examined the November release schedule and decided that no other film provided strong competition.
Universal
The other major Thanksgiving releases were the unnecessary sequel, Gladiator 2, and a musical, Wicked.
Box office history is littered with failed musical adaptations of popular Broadway plays. Cats is an excellent recent example of this.
Universal
Alas, Wicked shocked Disney and pretty much everyone else by becoming the most popular musical ever in a matter of just ten days.
For that matter, Gladiator 2 did quite well, too. So, Moana 2 faced massive competition during Thanksgiving Week. It just didn’t matter.
Photo: Disney
Fans were going to watch the continuing adventures of Moana and Maui, and they didn’t let anything stop them.
That’s why Moana 2 just absolutely eviscerated the previous Thanksgiving Week box office record.
Photo: Disney
Also, in a twist I’m confident Disney execs found satisfying, Moana 2 broke the all-time five-day opening record.
What was the film that held that record? The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Universal
Hey, remember last year when all anybody wanted to talk about was how Universal had surpassed Disney in animation?
You’re not hearing anybody say that now, are you? And how could they?
Image: Pixar
Disney’s going to have the top two animated films of the year.
Inside Out 2 has already claimed $1.6 billion, and Moana 2 appears like a lock for $1 billion. Disney is back!!!
Disney’s Thanksgiving Salvation
To understand what Disney accomplished this past week, we need only look at the previous two Thanksgivings.
In 2023, Disney was squarely on the defensive due to the box office disappointments of The Marvels and Wish.
Both were November releases, with Wish debuting over Thanksgiving Week. That film earned…$31.6 million in five days.
Moana 2 beat that in less than 24 hours! But the comparisons don’t stop there.
MOANA 2 – © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Disney’s low tide was actually November 2022, when Strange World also debuted during Thanksgiving Week.
That film grossed a paltry $18.6 million in five days, a total Moana 2 nearly passed with Tuesday sneaks alone. That was like two screenings of box office!
In short, Disney made everyone forget about those two disasters with Moana 2‘s performance, which is even better than you realize.
I say this because Moana was also a Thanksgiving Week release in 2016. It debuted to $82 million in five days.
Photo: Disney
That’s how much the brand has grown in just eight years. Moana 2 nearly tripled its predecessor.
In fact, Moana 2 easily earned more than those films combined…and it crushed Frozen II’s Thanksgiving total of $125 million, too.
Photo: Disney
This film is already in the top eight for domestic box office in 2024, and it’ll be in the top five by Friday.
Once Moana 2 inevitably passes Despicable Me 4, Disney will have the top three films of the year.
Photo: Disney
At the start of 2024, critics assailed Disney for having lost its cinematic touch.
Since then, they’ve learned a valuable lesson in the cyclical nature of Hollywood and the power of Disney branding.
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