Moana 2: A Box Office Surprise This Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving weekend, Disney's Moana 2 is set to break records at the box office. With an estimated $54 million on its first day, including a record-breaking preview of $13. 8 million, the film is projected to rake in over $170 million across 4, 200 theaters. This total would not only be a Thanksgiving 5-day opening record but also the highest haul for any movie during the holiday stretch, surpassing Frozen 2's $125 million. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who stars in the film alongside Auli'i Cravalho, could see his best domestic box office opening yet. His previous record was set by Furious 7, which made $147. 1 million. Moana 2's impressive start is part of Disney's streak under the Alan Bergman team, with four blockbusters that have each made over $100 million domestically. Some industry experts predict that Moana 2 could even reach $200 million over the Wednesday-Sunday period. If it does, it would beat the current 5-day opening record holder, the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made $204. 6 million. It's not just Moana 2 that's doing well. The musical film Wicked is also making waves, expected to reach $236. 9 million by Sunday, possibly becoming the highest-grossing movie based on a Broadway musical in the U. S. Meanwhile, Paramount's Gladiator 2 is seeing another solid weekend, and Amazon MGM Studios' Red One is attracting viewers with its action-packed scenes. The biggest Thanksgiving weekend for all movies was back in 2018, with Ralph Breaks the Internet leading the pack and the total box office reaching $315. 6 million. This year, we might just top that number.