The biggest box office juggernaut of 2024 might not have been released yet. Yes, the winds of success are circling around “Moana 2” and absolutely nobody should be surprised by this.
The sequel, which reunites voice stars Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, set records Monday in terms of first-day advance ticket sales, according to Fandango. It sold more tickets than any other animated 2024 film. The term “Moanapocalpyse” is now going viral.
“Moana 2” is projected to have a 5-day Holiday intake of $150M. It could be more, much more, as I believe trackers are lowballing the numbers. The trailer for the sequel, released in May, earned close to 178M views in its first 24 hours — a Disney record.
What’s most interesting about “Moana 2” is that it was originally developed, and partially shot, as a television series before being reworked as a film. Up until late 2022, it was supposed to premiere on Disney Plus.
The enduring popularity of 2016’s “Moana” should not be taken lightly. The film grossed $687M globally, but later gained an even larger audience at home, and ended up being the most streamed movie across all platforms in 2023, per Nielsen.
“Moana 2” is set to open in theaters on November 27.