Two movie musicals dominated the box office over Thanksgiving weekend. The cinematic adaptation of the Broadway show Wicked and Disney's highly-anticipated Moana 2 made movie theaters quite crowded in the days after the holiday. Combined with the trifecta of Gladiator 2, theaters made a record total of $414 million over the weekend.
Disney’s Moana 2 created a new Thanksgiving box office record with $225 million over the five-day holiday timeframe, taking over previous record-holders 2019’s Frozen II ($125 million) and 2013’s Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($109 million). It also stands as the biggest five-day debut in history, overtaking Universal’s 2023 The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($205.6 million).
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“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that Moana has become,” Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement. “This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”
As for the Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-led Wicked, it clutched the #2 spot with $81.1 million over the traditional weekend and $118.2 million over the five-day holiday stretch. Director Jon M. Chu’s big-screen take on the popular Broadway musical has certainly defied gravity, generating $263.1 million in North America and $359.2 million globally to date. It already ranks as the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in domestic box office history, ahead of 1978’s Grease ($188.62 million), as well as the fourth-biggest worldwide stage-to-screen reimagining behind 2008’s Mamma Mia ($611 million), 2012’s Les Miserables ($442 million) and Grease ($396 million).
But that's not all: the soundtrack for Wicked has also become a music chart hit, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200. (Just behind the debut of Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album GNX, which marks his fifth consecutive chart-topper.) In addition to the #2 spot on the 200 Chart, Wicked took the top spot on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, Soundtracks and Vinyl Albums charts.
Together, the trio of Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator 2 powered the biggest Thanksgiving period on record - with approximately $422 million across all films. This year’s attendance has massively improved from 2023, which was one of the worst in modern history as Disney’s Wish, the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Ridley Scott’s historical drama Napoleon only pushed ticket sales to $125 million in total.
The massive splash of Moana 2 and broomstick flight of Wicked could indicate movie-going audiences are itching for more musical choices at the box office. Other recent movie musicals to see success in theaters include Tina Fey's remake of Mean Girls, the Timothée Chalamet-led Wonka, Broadway darling The Color Purple, the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and even the dark drama Joker: Folie à Deux. Not to mention the barrage of music industry biopics - such as Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody - that include performances of beloved songs within their storylines.
Interested in seeing Moana 2 or Wicked at your local movie theater? You can buy tickets for the Disney movie here and find details about the witchy Universal picture here.
Listen to songs from Moana 2 and Wicked below.
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Article Image: Still of Moana from Disney's "Moana 2," shot of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo from the movie version of "Wicked." (Disney and Universal Pictures via IMDB.)
