The wildest dreams of movie theater owners across the country have come true. Thanks in large part to Disney’s “Moana 2” and Universal’s “Wicked” with assistance from Paramount’s “Gladiator II,” overall grosses for the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend have soared to an estimated $424 million, shattering the previous record of $314.8 million set in 2018.
“Moana 2,” fueled by several years of kids watching its 2016 predecessor endlessly on Disney+, led the way with a $221 million 5-day opening. That includes an estimated $136.8 million Fri.-Sun. opening that stands among the top 5 highest for animated films while the 5-day opening passes the $204.6 million extended launch record of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Easter Weekend 2023.
With this start, accompanied by $165 million from overseas markets, “Moana 2” now has a global opening of $386 million and is a virtual lock to join “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” as Disney’s third $1 billion hit as it will have no competition for family audiences until Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and Disney’s “Mufasa” hit theaters in three weeks.
Meanwhile, “Wicked” is set to blow past $400 million in domestic grosses with a chance at $500 million after its incredible $117.5 million 5-day holiday total. That brings the Jon M. Chu musical to $262 million in North America after two weekends in theaters, breaking the unadjusted Broadway adaptation record held for 46 years by “Grease.”
If there was any concern whether the stellar word-of-mouth for “Wicked” could stand up against the overwhelming excitement for “Moana 2,” that is gone now. Hardcore fans of the musical who have gone back for repeat screenings are being joined by general audiences intrigued by the buzz; and with the strongest audience reception scores of any wide release currently in theaters, “Wicked” should have no problem legging out not just through December but deep into the winter.
“Gladiator II” is in a distant but still impressive third with $44 million over five days, bringing the Ridley Scott sequel’s total to $111.2 million domestic and $320 million worldwide after two weekends.
How Jon M. Chu Broke the ‘Wicked’ Curse
As expected, the sword-and-sandals epic is finding a foothold in theaters with audiences that aren’t interested in animated family films or musicals and want something more intense. It’s a demonstration of the power of counterprogramming and the ability of theaters to support multiple high-budget films if they contrast enough to provide something for all tastes.
Also impressive is that “Gladiator II” was/is expected to see its audience demographics skew older over the course of its run, but that hasn’t happened yet. Paramount reports that 52% of the Thanksgiving weekend audience is under the age of 35, showing the film’s success at winning over moviegoers who were too young to have seen the first “Gladiator” in theaters back in 2000.
Amazon MGM’s “Red One” is in fourth with $18.7 million over five days for a $76 million domestic total after three weekends, while Lionsgate’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” completes the top 5 with $4.85 million and a domestic total of $32 million.
