Moana 2 box office: Hit animated film earns over $1 billion worldwide through theatrical release

Disney's Moana and her friends Loto, Moni and Kele. Photo / Disney

Disney has a new member of its billion-dollar-grossing movie club for 2024, with smash hit animated sequel Moana 2 earning US$1.009 billion ($1.8b) globally eight weekends from its release date.

The film joins previous 2024 Disney features Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine as the third film to reach the mammoth milestone, earning US$445m ($796m) in the US and US$567m ($1b) internationally.

Starring Kiwi talent such as Dave Fane and Temuera Morrison alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho, Moana 2 tells the continuing story of Moana as she embarks on a new ocean-based adventure after an unexpected call from her ancestors.

Moana 2 has reached over $1 billion at the box office. Photo / Disney

In a decision executives will likely be reflecting on as a good one, the film was originally slated as a television series for the Disney+ streaming service but eventually changed to a feature film.

The US$1b global haul pales in comparison to the original movie’s US$680m ($1.2b) earnings in 2016, with Screen Rant citing the new film’s stronger appeal across global markets, with notable success in the US, China, and Europe.

“This success also emphasises the importance of theatrical distribution for animated films, showcasing that there is still a significant demand for high-quality family films on the big screen, even as streaming services continue to dominate the market,” Screen Rant’s Alexis Zaccaria wrote.

Despite mixed critical reviews, Variety reported the film benefited from positive word of mouth among moviegoers and remained in the top five on US domestic charts for seven consecutive weekends.

“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that Moana has become. 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," Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement at the time.

A spokesperson for Hoyts confirmed to the Herald Moana 2 also opened in the number-one spot in New Zealand cinemas and stayed there throughout its opening week, with both the English and Māori versions of the film earning a combined $3.14m.

It was also the highest-grossing weekend for an animated film of all time in New Zealand, beating out 2004’s Shrek 2, which at the time took out $2.2m.

Its meteoric success comes as the Walt Disney Company is also facing a multibillion-dollar lawsuit after claims of plagiarism were mounted against both films in the series.

Animator Buck Woodall has filed a suit in California, seeking damages of at least US$10b ($17.9b) over a claim Disney allegedly stole elements of a screenplay for a film called Bucky, which he wrote in the early 2000s.

According to Decider, Moana director Ron Clements said in a court declaration the film was “not inspired by or based in any way on [Woodall] or his Bucky project, which I learned of for the first time after this lawsuit was filed”.