‘Moana 2’ Is a Streaming Blockbuster
Disney is making the right kind of financial headlines right now, even though I have no idea the current price of the stock.
By the time you read this, $Dis could be selling over $100 again, or it could have dropped into the $70s.
Photo: skillastics.com
None of that has anything to do with the company itself and is much more about the chaotic nature of Wall Street right now.
But all the things Disney can control are seemingly going great. Even The Hollywood Reporter just wrote a Disney puff piece.
NPR
And all the positive buzz occurred before Moana 2 debuted on streaming. Now, Disney execs have another reason to smile.
Moana 2 is objectively a streaming blockbuster, which isn’t a surprise, but it’s more terrific news. Let’s discuss.
About Disney Streaming
Forbes
First, let’s talk about the THR article about Disney streaming, which you can read in its entirety here.
When you do, you’ll quickly realize that Disney isn’t the main topic but rather a vital piece of a larger conversation.
Photo: Getty Images/Ringer illustration
The tables have turned in the streaming industry as the major players are suddenly performing much better.
Sure, Comcast is still losing a fortune on Peacock, and Warner Bros. Discovery remains a mess.
Photo: IGN.com
From a financial perspective, their statuses have improved significantly from a year ago, though.
And that fact leads us to Disney, which is currently enjoying a remarkable reversal of fortune.
Photo: Washington Post
As THR points out, Disney’s profitability changed by $574 million in a year.
Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) division had been losing billions of dollars annually during its early years.
Families Streaming Disney+
At the end of fiscal 2024, Disney proudly stated that DtC is now making money rather than losing it.
THR notes that streaming revenue has improved by 13 percent year-over-year, and that was before a recent price increase.
Photo: Disney
How well is the company doing? Well, here’s a quote from the article:
“Subscriber gains – check! Revenue growth – check! Swing to profit – check!”
Photo: English Jargon
So, yeah, Disney is checking all the boxes as its streaming business builds into a powerhouse.
‘Moana 2’ Is a Streaming Blockbuster
MOANA 2 – © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Since the Disney streaming situation had already improved dramatically, the company was freerolling with Moana 2.
As far as streaming releases go, this one was as “can’t miss” as is possible in the industry.
After all, Moana was the most-streamed movie of 2024. And 2023.
As near as anybody can tell, Moana is THE most-streamed movie ever, which is a brain-breaking statistic.
Photo: Disney
The metrics supporting this assertion explain why I was always so bullish about the thought of a Moana sequel.
You can rewind the tape on the MickeyBlog Podcast and hear me openly begging for it before the film even existed.
Photo: Disney
So, I’m obviously not surprised that Moana 2 earned more than $1 billion at the box office. It was about what I’d expected.
Similarly, Moana 2’s streaming debut on Disney+ has performed right in line with my expectations.
Photo: Disney
Subscribers streamed nearly two billion minutes of Moana 2 during its few days on Disney+.
Folks, that’s about 21 million viewings of Moana 2 in a matter of less than a week.
Photo: Disney
Calling this performance jaw-dropping almost undersells it. To a larger point, it paints a picture about consumer behavior.
Even though Moana 2 tore up the box office, tens of millions of fans of the character waited until the film debuted on Disney+.
Photo: Disney
At this point, Moana 2 is probably already a lock to finish among the top ten most-streamed films of 2025.
In fact, Netflix reportedly spent $300 million on a Russo Brothers film called The Electric State.
Photo: Disney
Moana 2 claimed more than 800 million more viewer minutes…at half the price and with a billion-dollar theatrical release.
Netflix may be winning the war, but Disney definitely won this particular battle.
Disney’s Other Streaming Hits
Wall Street Journal
So, I was on vacation last week and didn’t have reliable internet. As such, I missed the Nielsen Streaming Ratings.
Today, to catch up, I’m gonna run through two weeks of ratings, focusing solely on Disney hits.
Photographer: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
The first week we’ll discuss is March 3rd – March 9th, 2025. In that timeframe, Disney had one hit on the Originals chart.
Paradise managed another 705 million minutes, aided by the fact that it was the season finale of the buzzy hit show.
Photo: Bluey
As usual, Disney dominated the Acquired chart. Here were its ranked titles:
- Family Guy – 1.203 billion viewer minutes
- Bluey – 932 million viewer minutes
- NCIS – 823 million viewer minutes
- Greys Anatomy – 817 million viewer minutes
- Bob’s Burgers – 654 million viewer minutes
FOX
Once again, Disney failed to chart on Movies for that particular week, which is a bit odd.
I would have expected Moana to appear due to pre-gaming for Moana 2, but that’s okay! It charted the following week.
Photo: Disney
When Moana 2 debuted to nearly two billion minutes, Moana snuck back up to 223 million minutes as well.
By this point, Paradise had fallen out of the top ten on the Originals chart, but Disney still dominated on Acquired.
Photo: Disney
Here is how the usual suspects did for the week of March 10th through March 16th, 2025.
- Family Guy – 978 million viewer minutes
- Greys Anatomy – 973 million viewer minutes
- Bluey – 949 million viewer minutes
- NCIS – 755 million viewer minutes
- Bob’s Burgers – 672 million viewer minutes
- The Rookie – 660 million viewer minutes
Family Guy
When I double-dip on chart analysis, it’s that much easier for you to understand Disney’s consistency and dominance on streaming.
People are going to watch these shows no matter what.
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