‘Moana 2’, ‘Wicked’ Break Thanksgiving Box Office Records At Combined $422M

It’s tracking to be the best Thanksgiving season ever at the domestic box office this past week. The Walt Disney Animations musical picture Moana 2 received a five-day opening at the movies, making an accrued amount of $221M and marking the most successful Thanksgiving gross of all time, passing Frozen II‘s $125M earnings. The budget for Moana 2 was previously reported as $150M. The film sees the return of original voice actors Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson as Moana and the demigod Maui, respectively.

Continuing its ascent is the “Glicked” movement and its associating participants. The John M. Chu-directed Wicked comes in at second this weekend, bringing $80M home to Universal and breaking the record for the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation. The 1978 film Grease had previously held this record. Wicked’s position at number two sees movie musicals occupying the top two spots at this weekend’s box office. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as two of the most famous Broadway characters (and witches) of all time: Elphaba and Glinda.

Paramount’s Gladiator II comes in under Wicked with just over $30M. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, the action film serves as an alternate option to the music-driven narratives of the weekend, drawing its own target audience towards theater screens.

The combined attraction of Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II made for a bountiful feast for film-goers. With the five-day Thanksgiving weekend leading millions nationwide to the movies, an impressive $420M was earned. This takes 2018’s title for the most successful Thanksgiving weekend at the box office to date.

Staying in the Top 5 from last week sees another Dwayne Johnson appearance, Amazon MGM’s Christmas flick Red One earns $12M in fourth place. Sticking to the holiday genre, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever moves into fifth place with $3M.

A24’s Queer, directed by Luca Guadganino and starring Daniel Craig, has also hit theaters this past week. It’s safe to say it is currently an exciting, diverse, and celebratory time at the movies.

Continue reading for a full list of this weekend’s domestic box office report.

Top 10 Box Office for weekend Nov. 29 – Dec 1

1. Moana 2 – Weekend Gross*: $135M, Total: $221M
2. Wicked – Weekend Gross: $80M, Total: $262M
3. Gladiator II – Weekend Gross: $30M, Total: $111M
4. Red One – Weekend Gross: $12M, Total: $76M
5. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Weekend Gross: $3M, Total: $32M
6. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin – Weekend Gross: $2M, Total:$9M
7. Venom: The Last Dance – Weekend Gross: $2M, Total: $137M
8. Heretic – Weekend Gross: $956K, Total: $26M
9. The Wild Robot – Weekend Gross: $670K, Total: $142M
10. A Real Pain – Weekend Gross: $665K, Total: $6M