There has never been a Broadway movie adaptation that has earned the opening gross or effusive praise that Universal’s “Wicked” enjoyed this weekend. But even with its $114 million haul from 3,888 domestic screens ahead of a big Thanksgiving weekend, no musical has faced as stiff competition as the film that “Wicked” will be sharing theaters with starting this Wednesday: Disney’s “Moana 2.”
With eight years of family goodwill built by endless rewatches on Disney+, the sequel is expected to break the Thanksgiving record set in 2019 by the second weekend of “Frozen II” with $125 million. Globally, “Moana 2” is looking at a launch total of $225 million with a chance of getting closer to the $295 million global start of “Inside Out 2” this past summer.