Moana 2 breaks records despite mixed reviews and tough competition
"Moana 2" by Disney debuted in Canadian theatres with an impressive $57.5 million on its opening day, marking one of the biggest animated debuts in history.
In the USA, this weekend is special. It began on Thursday with Thanksgiving Day so that the weekend results will include screenings from Wednesday to Sunday evening. It is anticipated that "Moana 2" will earn between $175 and $200 million over these five days. Even with lower projections, the film will surpass the result of "Frozen 2" from 2019, which amounted to $125 million. If it reaches the upper limit of the forecasts, it could become the biggest animated debut of all time.
Success despite mixed reviews
Although "Moana 2" received mixed reviews, with a 66 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn't discourage fans. Disney is also working on a live-action adaptation of "Moana," with Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in the cast. The film is directed by Thomas Kail, with Catherine Laga'aia playing the lead role. If "Moana 2" succeeds, more projects related to this franchise are possible.
A successful weekend in American theatres
The cast and production team of "Wicked" can also celebrate. It's another weekend run of this theatre adaptation of the Broadway show, and people are still eager to buy tickets. According to predictions, the film with Ariana Grande could earn nearly $100 million by Wednesday evening. Let's not forget the sequel to "Gladiator." People are still going to the cinema to see this film, and it's forecasted that Ridley Scott's picture will earn nearly $50 million.
It's worth noting that this year's winners turned out to be animations. This weekend, considered the most important for theatre owners, was won by "Moana," but the hit of all 12 months is "Inside Out 2." Worldwide, Pixar's animation earned $1.69 billion—nearly $800 million more than the first part of the movie.
