"Moana 2" beats multiple box office records…

"Moana 2" beats multiple box office records Thanksgiving weekend

Disney is known for being the top animated filmmaker of all time due to the creation of some of the most iconic movies, including "The Lion King," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Dumbo," to name a few. Every one of these films continue to be watched and loved by multiple generations.

However, Disney has recently had some strong competitors threaten its title in the film industry.

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Companies like Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount and Sony have surpassed Disney by producing star-studded films in the live-action genre, which have landed them as the top-grossing films domestically since 2020.

Because of this pattern, Disney has begun producing live-action versions of its beloved animated films. Currently, almost all of Disney's original princess movies have a non-animated version. Disney also just released "Mufasa: The Lion King," the live-action version of "The Lion King," one of the company's most popular films.

These efforts to join the non-animated film scene didn't seem to be enough to restore Disney's spot as the top film company. However, its latest animated release may have just helped Disney regain its crown, proving this genre to be its strongest suit.

Disney returns as the top animated filmmaker thanks to "Moana 2"

Since its release on Wednesday, Disney's (DIS) "Moana 2" has made $221 million in North American ticket sales, breaking the record for the highest-grossing movie on Thanksgiving weekend.

Previously, Universal's (UVV) "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" held the record for the biggest five-day debut of all time, reaching a total of $204 million in April 2023, and Disney's "Frozen II" held the record for the biggest five-day Thanksgiving debut with a total of $125 million in 2019.

The first version of "Moana," released on November 23, 2016, didn't have as successful a debut as its sequel. Over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend that year, it generated $82.1 million, landing it in 13th place overall and reaching merely a fraction of the incredibly shocking box office sales it achieved this year.

However, it looks like Disney has returned to being the top global animated film producer after taking the crown from Universal. While "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" broke the record last year by reaching $377 million in global box office sales, "Moana 2" made Disney proud with $389 million.

The future of the movie theater industry business and box office sales

According to Box Office Mojo, Universal's "Wicked" made $117.5 million the same holiday weekend, and Paramount's (PARA) "Gladiator II" came in third place with $44 million. These top three movies, including "Moana 2," reached $382.5 million during the five-day period.

Last year, thanks to the release of Warner's (WBD) "Barbie" and Universal's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," the yearly domestic box office had a total gross of $8.9 billion. As of this year, the total grossing for annual domestic box office sales is currently $7.6 billion, led by the release of Disney's "Inside Out 2."

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For the past four years, box office sales reported continual growth in ticket sales, but with a little less than a month left in 2024, these leading movies would have to generate over $1.3 billion to surpass last year's numbers.

Although these numbers are not adjusted for inflation, last year's box office sales still outdid this year's. Only time will tell the future of the movie theater industry, and it's going by fast.

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