Moana 2 Follows Disney’s Box Office Trend Established by Toy Story 4 Six Years Ago

The release of the highly anticipated Moana 2 has propelled Walt Disney Studios to new financial heights, solidifying a six-year box office achievement. Following the successful 2016 original, this sequel sees the adventurous Moana called upon by her ancestors once again, this time to locate the mythical island of Motufetu and confront the storm god, Nalo. The film features returning voice talents Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, alongside new cast members Hualālai Chung, David Fane, and Rose Matafeo.

Launched over Thanksgiving 2024, Moana 2 is being hailed as a commendable sequel, showing an impressive engagement from both critics and audiences as reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes scores. Many have praised the film’s catchy soundtrack, stunning animation, and commendable voice performances. The sequel has earned nominations for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes and received five nominations at the Annie Awards. Its box office success has solidified Disney’s ongoing financial trajectory, which commenced in 2019.

Moana 2: Disney’s 4th Consecutive Animated Sequel to Exceed $1 Billion

The 4th Sequel in Six Years to Achieve the $1 Billion Benchmark

As reported by Box Office Mojo, Moana 2 has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, concluding 2024 as the third-highest-grossing film of the year, trailing behind Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. This financial milestone represents a significant success for Walt Disney Studios, originally considering a Disney+ streaming release for the film. As a result, Moana 2 now stands as the fourth consecutive animated sequel from Disney to gross over $1 billion in the past five years.

Disney Animated Sequels (2018–2024)
Year of Release	Movie Title	Rotten Tomatoes Score	Box Office Results
2018	Incredibles 2	93%	$1.243 billion
2018	Ralph Breaks the Internet	88%	$529.3 million
2019	Toy Story 4	97%	$1.074 billion
2019	Frozen II	77%	$1.453 billion
2024	Inside Out 2	91%	$1.699 billion
2024	Ocean 2	61%	$1.012 billion

Moana 2 marks Disney’s fifth sequel to reach the $1 billion threshold within six years, continuing a trend initiated by Toy Story 4 in 2019. The achievements of both Incredibles 2 (2018) and Frozen II (2019) have contributed to this impressive record, with Ralph Breaks the Internet being the only Disney sequel in this time frame to fall short of the billion-dollar benchmark. According to Deadline, the triumph of both Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 has positioned Walt Disney Studios as the first studio to generate more than $5 billion in global box office revenue since 2019.

The Box Office Trend: Why Disney Continues to Produce Animated Sequels

Disney Sequels Often Outperform Their Original Counterparts

Moana reconnecting the oceans in Moana 2

Walt Disney Studios has increasingly embraced a trend of creating animated sequels within the last few years, aiming to bolster its financial performance. Sequels have proven to be more lucrative than their original films, as evidenced by the financial success of Frozen 2, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, and now Moana 2, which has achieved box office revenues exceeding its predecessor’s $687.2 million.

In recent times, Disney has faced challenges with original animated releases. Films like Raya and the Last Dragon, Wish, Strange World, and Elemental struggled both critically and financially. The substantial box office success of Moana 2 underscores Walt Disney Animation Studios’ strategic pivot towards sequels that resonate better with audiences and critics alike, compared to new original projects. With the momentum created by Moana 2 and Disney’s forthcoming slate of sequels, there is potential for continued success in the future.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Deadline

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