Moana 2 on track for record-breaking $297m-plus launch at US Thanksgiving box office

Moana 2 is on a waka to record-breaking success at the US box office, heading towards a historic US$175 million-plus launch this Thanksgiving week.

The Disney musical fantasy, which features a raft of New Zealand stars, including Temuera Morrison, Dave Fane and Awhimai Fraser, opened to US$57.5m ($97.6m) on Wednesday (local time), including US$13.8m in previews.

It’s believed the sequel will rake in more than US$175m over the five days from Wednesday to Sunday, which could see it become the biggest five-day opening in history.

The five-day figures mean Moana 2 is on track to become the top Thanksgiving holiday opening of all time, beating 2013’s Frozen, which amassed US$94m (Thanksgiving is held on November 28). It will also surpass Frozen 2 (US$125m) to become the top earner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Maui the demigod is back - with jokes, still - in Moana 2. Photo / Disney

The film has already secured the top opening day ever for a Walt Disney Animation project, and the third-biggest opening day for any animated film, coming in behind Incredibles 2 and Inside Out 2, the outlet reported. The latter broke several records and became the first film to hit the US$1 billion mark since Barbie.

Its US opening on November 27 also marked the third-biggest day at the box office to date this year, behind Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.

Directed by David Derrick jnr, Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the sequel picks up three years after the events of the first film, 2016’s Moana. The story follows Moana of Motunui (Auliʻi Cravalho), the strong-willed daughter of Polynesian Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison), as she embarks on an all-new ocean adventure after an unexpected call from her ancestors.

Along the way, she’s helped by her demigod friend Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprises this role), the “grumpy” yet loveable Kele (Dave Fane) and encounters the mysterious new adversary Matangi (Awhimai Fraser).

In Moana 2, Moana navigates the seas with her new wayfinding crew featuring the "grumpy" Kele (left) voiced by Dave Fane. Photo / Disney

At the time of writing, Moana 2 is proving more popular with audiences than with critics, with its audience score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes sitting at 88%. Comparatively, its critical rating is at 66% - almost 30% down on the first film, which amassed a 95% score. The sequel has earned an A- on CinemaScore, while Moana scored an A.

Despite grossing a respectable US$248.8m at the US box office, Moana became a cultural phenomenon only in the years following its release. It was the most streamed movie of the year in the US in 2023, with 11.6 billion minutes streamed.

The US release of Moana 2 (which opened in New Zealand in both te reo Māori and English on Thursday) comes just days after the highly anticipated films Wicked and Gladiator II opened in American cinemas on November 22. The combination of the three is estimated to result in a five-day revenue of over US$315m (NZ$534.6m) this Thanksgiving week.

Box office numbers are set to be updated on Sunday (local time).