Moana 2 Exceeds Expectations While Wicked and Gladiator II Fall Short
Moana 2 has exceeded expectations at the box office, while Wicked and Gladiator II fell short of their projected numbers. The three movies, including the Moana sequel, Wicked, and Gladiator II, have broken multiple box office records over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
According to Variety, Moana 2 is projected to earn a five-day Thanksgiving gross of $221 million at the domestic box office, breaking the record for the best five-day weekend of all time. The movie’s success is impressive, considering its reported budget of roughly $150 million.
Wicked, which opened the weekend before U.S. Thanksgiving, came in second with a five-day total of $117.5 million and a three-day total of $80 million. The movie’s performance is impressive, considering its slim 28% drop from its opening weekend.
Gladiator II, which opened on the same day as Wicked, came in third with a five-day total of $44 million and a three-day total of $30.7 million. The movie’s performance was decent, but it fell short of its projected numbers.
The Red One release fell to No. 4 in its third weekend with an $18.7 million 5-day total and a $12.8 million 3-day weekend. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which was expected to be a low-budget release, surprised everyone by making it to the top 5 with a $4.85 million 5-day total.
Moana 2’s success is already making it a smash hit, with its five-day total almost matching its predecessor’s entire domestic box office run. The movie’s break-even point is likely around $375 million, which it should easily reach considering its reported budget of $150 million.
Wicked and Moana 2’s success could be a sign of a big recovery for theatrical distribution in 2025, following a year of extreme ups and downs due to the 2023 writers and actors strikes.