‘Moana’ rakes in $81M during Thanksgiving weekend
COURTESY DISNEY
This image released by Disney shows characters Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, right, and Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, in a scene from the animated film, “Moana.”
NEW YORK >> Disney’s South Pacific animated tale “Moana” fell short of a “Frozen”-size debut but nevertheless dominated the Thanksgiving box office with an estimated $81.1 million over the five-day weekend.
The well-reviewed “Moana,” about a princess’s mythical journey in ancient Polynesia, earned $55.5 million from Friday to Sunday in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though it didn’t match the 2013 Thanksgiving release of “Frozen” ($93.6 million over five days in 2013), “Moana” scored the second-highest Turkey Day debut ever.
Boosted by the star power of Dwayne Johnson and the appeal of original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton,” “Moana” landed Disney another big hit in a year full of them. The studio has notched four of the top six films (“Finding Dory,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Zootopia,” “The Jungle Book”) and still has “Star Wars: Rogue One” coming in December.
AT THE BOX OFFICE
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore:
1. “Moana,” $55.5 million
2. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” $45.1 million
3. “Doctor Strange,” $13.4 million
4. “Allied,” $13 million
5. “Arrival,” $11.3 million
6. “Trolls,” $10.4 million
7. “Bad Santa 2,” $6.1 million
8. “Almost Christmas,” $5.7 million
9. “Hacksaw Ridge,” $5.5 million
10. “The Edge of Seventeen,” $3 million
One response to “‘Moana’ rakes in $81M during Thanksgiving weekend”
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I was correct in stating Lee Cataluna’s review of this movie was way off base. She just doesn’t have the experience to rate movies.