Christmas Day brought a massive bump in revenue at the domestic box office, with a host of holdovers vying for attention among a bunch of new releases. Among the holdover hits is Moana 2, which is already among the highest-grossing hits of the year, and recently overtook Despicable Me 4 domestically to become the second-highest grossing animated movie of 2024 behind Inside Out 2. The film has now grossed over $800 million worldwide, and will hope to eventually overtake Despicable Me 4’s $961 million lifetime global gross as well.
But thanks to its already amazing performance, the combined global haul of the two Moana movies is about to pass an incredible milestone. Released in 2016, the original Moana concluded its run with $687 million worldwide. Moana 2 has generated $807 million worldwide so far, which means that the combined total of the two films currently stands at $1.494 billion. If Moana 2 makes even $6 million on Christmas Day domestically, which it realistically could, the franchise will hit the $1.5 billion mark worldwide. This will be a humongous achievement for Disney, which had originally conceived Moana 2 as a streaming series. The studio recently hit the $5 billion milestone worldwide in total box office revenue.
'Moana 2' Was Originally Conceived As a Streaming Project
Unlike the first film, however, the sequel has received mixed reviews. Moana 2 appears to have settled at a borderline fresh 61% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with its audience score standing at a far more encouraging 86%. By comparison, the original Moana holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie also earned an Academy Award nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. The voice cast for Moana 2 also includes Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk, while the songs have been composed by Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, alongside Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. You can watch Moana 2 in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Moana sets out on another daring voyage, venturing into uncharted territories to save her island from a looming ancient danger. Joined by the demigod Maui and her steadfast friends, she braves perilous seas and encounters new allies along the way. Her quest leads to revelations about her ancestors and deeper insights into her bond with the ocean.
Director
David G. Derrick Jr.
, Jason Hand
, Dana Ledoux Miller
English (US) ·