“Moana 2” has exploded into cinemas globally this week generating $A12.3 million at the Australian box office and breaking several Australian records including the highest grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar opening weekend of all time, the highest grossing Saturday for an animated film (ahead of “Shrek 2”) and the 3rd highest grossing animated weekend of all time (behind “The Simpsons Movie” & “Shrek 2”).
In the US, “Moana 2” delivered $US221 million over the five-day holiday period, smashing several records including the highest 5-day opening of all time (ahead of 2023’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”), The highest Thanksgiving weekend of all time (ahead of “Frozen 2”) and the highest grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios opening weekend (ahead of “Frozen 2”). In its first 5 days, “Moana 2” has generated $US386 million ($A592 million) in box office globally, with “Wicked” also enjoying another phenomenal weekend, with Director Jon M. Chu’s big screen adaption of the popular Broadway musical generating $US359.2 million globally to date, enjoying honours as the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in the US, ahead of 1978’s “Grease” ($US188.62 million).
“Moana 2,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” combined for the biggest weekend of the year in Australia, whereby an estimated 1.4 million Australians visited their local cinema. Cameron Mitchell, Executive Director of The Cinema Association Australasia, noted “Cinema clearly remains Australia’s favourite entertainment experience, and these exceptional results once again reinforce the incredible appeal of the cinema experience in Australia. We are consistently seeing that when a strong supply of great films is available in cinemas, that the demand for the cinema experience is incredibly strong and new records are being set in Australian cinemas. Year to date, an estimated 50 million tickets have been sold to Australian cinemas, with November box office alone increasing by over 51% on prior year. Cinema clearly remains the most loved and most popular out of home experience in Australia, with five of Australia’s eight highest grossing films of all time being released in the last 3 years.”
Several other box office records have been broken in 2024 including “Inside Out 2” which has become the highest grossing animated film in history, whilst collectively with “Despicable Me 4” and “Kung Fu Panda 4,” these three films combined to deliver over $A120m to the Australian box office, a record for animated films during the Winter holidays. Globally, “Inside Out 2” & “Despicable Me 4” have combined to generate more than $US2.1 billion at the international box office, with the “Despicable Me” franchise now the first animated franchise in history to cross the $US5 billion mark. “Deadpool & Wolverine” has taken the title of highest grossing R-rated movie in global cinema history in July, and the broad and combined appeal of “Moana 2,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” or “Moanapocalypse-Glicked” phenomenon as it has become known in the US, is creating an unmissable social phenomenon, as Barbenheimer (Barbie & Oppenheimer) enjoyed in 2023.
“Moana 2,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” all with broad and varying appeal to differing demographics, are enjoying very high Popcornmeter ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the international industry measure of audience sentiment, with “Wicked” (96%), “Moana 2” (87%) and “Gladiator II” (83%) all enjoying impressive sentiment from over 5,000 verified ratings.
The original “Moana” was released in 2016, grossing $US680 million at the global box office. Given the enduring appeal of “Moana,” The Walt Disney Company is developing a live-action remake of the original film for release in cinemas in 2026.?
About Cinema Association Australasia
The Cinema Association Australasia (CAA) is the peak industry body representing cinema operators across Australia and New Zealand, established to act in the interests of all cinema operators, advocating on matters in support of the industry. The Cinema Association represents cinema operators across Australia, including Event Cinemas, HOYTS Cinemas, Village Cinemas and Reading Entertainment, as well as many independent and regional cinemas. CAA represents over 2,000 screens across Australia and New Zealand, with members cinemas contributing 90% of Australia and New Zealand’s consolidated box office. www.cinemaassociation.asn.au