Box Office: ‘Moana 2’ Still Making a Splash on Top as A24’s ‘Y2K’ Opens in Eighth Place

As a moviegoer with a soft spot for Disney animations and a penchant for epic stories, I must say that this weekend’s box office is nothing short of thrilling! The success of “Moana 2” has been a delight to watch, and it’s heartening to see how the decision to rework it into a theatrical sequel has paid off. The return of Maui and Moana has indeed brought a fresh wave of magic to our screens.

“Moana 2” is still making a splash at the domestic box office.

In its second weekend, the Disney animated sequel earned an additional $11.4 million on Friday, bringing its total to around $50.4 million. Following a record-breaking Thanksgiving week with over $225 million in box office revenue across five days, the movie is projected to surpass $300 million nationwide by Sunday’s end.

Initially planned as a Disney+ series, “Moana 2” was later transformed into a theatrical sequel by the studio – a decision that’s proven beneficial, despite some contrasting opinions. In this movie, Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho lend their voices once more to the characters they brought to life: Maui, the tattooed demigod, and Moana, the Polynesian heroine respectively.

Still popular at the domestic box office are “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” and “Red One.” Universal’s “Wicked” secured the second spot, earning $9.5 million on Friday. The expensive adaptation of the successful Broadway musical, featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is expected to rake in $32.7 million during its third weekend and surpass $318 million domestically.

In third position, “Gladiator II” by Paramount earned an additional $3.6 million on Friday. The historical epic featuring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington is projected to generate approximately $12.9 million by Sunday, marking a 58% decrease compared to the previous week’s earnings. After three weeks in theaters, the film is anticipated to surpass $130 million domestically.

In its fourth weekend, “Red One,” an action-comedy set at Christmas with Dwayne Johnson as Santa’s chief of security, ranked at No. 4. The Amazon MGM production earned an additional $1.6 million on Friday and is aiming to surpass $85 million domestically. However, this figure may not bring much cheer considering the film’s production cost was a hefty $250 million.

Completing the list of top five movies is “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” a Telugu-language Indian action film starring Allu Arjun as the lead character. Predictions suggest that it made approximately $1.7 million on its first day from 1,245 cinemas and is projected to earn around $5.2 million by Sunday’s end.

On its premiere day, I found myself in eighth position among box office contenders, with A24’s “Y2K” raking in approximately $910,000 from a total of 2,108 theaters. This disaster comedy-horror flick, featuring Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, and Julian Dennison, chronicles a group of high schoolers who must battle for survival as Y2K unfolds in reality. Unfortunately, both critics and initial viewers have been harsh in their assessments, giving the movie a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C-” from CinemaScore pollsters.

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2024-12-07 20:16