Moana 2’s voyage to box office dominance may have been predictable, but that doesn’t stop it from being any less impressive. At a time when two other major movies in Wicked and Gladiator II threatened to absorb ticket sales, the Disney sequel sailed to success by topping the box office charts for almost all of its run thus far. In total, Moana 2 has already accumulated over $700 million worldwide, becoming not just one of the biggest hits of the year financially, but even entering the top 20 of all time at the domestic animated box office.

Thanks to the financial fruits of Disney’s labor, another of their big hits is about to be overtaken in the all-time rankings. Just $9 million separates Moana 2 and 2009’s smash success Up, with that gap all but guaranteed to close over the next weekend. Up is currently the 132nd highest-grossing movie of all time, with Moana 2 likely to climb as high as 125th by next Monday, December 23, surpassing major blockbuster titles such as The Matrix Reloaded and Suicide Squad.

‘Moana 2’ Allows Its Central Character to Break New Ground

More than its infectious songs and eye-catching animation, the Moana series is best loved for its breaking down of boundaries. As the first ever Polynesian Disney Princess, the titular Moana, voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho, provides better representation for a community long underrepresented, with the film taking inspiration from many Polynesian cultures on its way to global success. For Cravalho, it was important to see how her character had grown between the first installment and the sequel – another boundary-breaking element of the franchise. Speaking of this in an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, the actress said:

“I hope fans of Moana are able to see her grow. I love that, for the first time in Disney history, a Disney princess has been allowed to age. It’s been three years since we last saw her, and she’s now become a master navigator. She’s searching across the entirety of the Pacific for more people, and I think that that’s absolutely beautiful. I love that I’ve grown up, so my voice is also a little bit lower. You’ll hear my growth through her. You’ll also see it through our script and through our music, and I really like that growth is a central theme. She might think that her path ahead is pretty straight and not too difficult —
wrong
! Life takes you on loops and twists and turns, and that’s also growth.”

You can catch the sing-a-long sequel in theaters now.

Your changes have been saved Moana 2 Release Date November 27, 2024 Director David G. Derrick Jr. , Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller Cast Auli’i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Nicole Scherzinger , Hualālai Chung , David Fane , Rose Matafeo , Awhimai Fraser , Gerald Ramsey , Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda Runtime 100 Minutes

Get Tickets