The Walt Disney animation "Moana 2" broke numerous box office records in North America and worldwide during its first weekend in theaters.

A still from "Moana 2." [Image courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios]

The much-anticipated animated sequel debuted in North America on Nov. 27, coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday. During this holiday period, the Disney animation made a historic haul of $225.2 million, the biggest five-day opening of all time, besting "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" (2023) which made $204.6 million. This included $139.7 million for the three-day weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Moana 2" also broke numerous records in North America such as biggest five-day Thanksgiving earner of all time, biggest five-day Thanksgiving nationwide opening and biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios debut of all time. 

In other international movie markets, "Moana 2" raked in $165.8 million, securing itself as the second largest worldwide launch of the year so far, with "Deadpool & Wolverine" taking first place. At the time of writing, the Disney animated movie's global total stood at $389 million.

The animated sequel opened in China on Nov. 29 and grossed 47.16 million yuan ($6.5 million) over the weekend.

The global box office craze for "Moana 2" comes as no surprise. Its first trailer, released on May 29, garnered 178 million views within 24 hours, making it Disney's most-watched animated trailer. In North America, it topped the first-day pre-sale box office, claiming the No. 1 spot for 2024 animated films on Fandango. 

Chinese Olympic swimming champion Wang Shun poses with a Beijing audience to promote "Moana 2," Dec. 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios]

Its predecessor, "Moana" (2016), not only grossed $643 million worldwide but also became an enduring cultural phenomenon among children, ranking as the most-watched movie on U.S. streaming platforms in 2023 with 11.6 billion viewing minutes. Since its Disney+ debut in 2019, "Moana" has amassed nearly 80 billion minutes watched — equivalent to 775 million full movie viewings.

"Moana 2," directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, reunites Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) and demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) three years after their initial journey for an expansive new adventure on the high seas with a motley crew of sailors. Responding to a mysterious summons from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana ventures into the perilous, uncharted waters of Oceania for an adventure that far surpasses her previous experiences.

"The first film was about Moana finding her identity," said the sequel's screenwriter and executive producer Jared Bush, who also wrote the first "Moana" feature. "It's a never-ending journey. There's still a lot that Moana needs to learn about herself. If the first film is about reconnecting with your past, this film is about Moana and her people's future."

According to director Dana Ledoux Miller, the story of "Moana 2" was inspired by the Pacific Islands communities themselves. There are old legends within the Pacific of meeting points for navigators from different islands, which intrigued the animated feature's filmmakers, especially the idea that people would travel to find each other.

A Chinese poster for "Moana 2." [Image courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios]

"'Moana 2' has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that Moana has become," Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement. "We're fortunate to have an incredibly talented and hardworking creative team at Disney Animation who brought this new adventure to life, alongside our wonderful stars Auli'i and Dwayne and great new music. This is a moment to celebrate, and we're thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who've helped make this a record-breaking debut."

Benjamin Huang, who served as the environment look supervisor for "Moana 2," creating surfaces and textures for its environments, told China.org.cn that he believes the sequel is a significant upgrade over the first installment in terms of visuals, storyline and music.

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