According to Deadline, “Moana 2” has topped the $1 Billion mark in global box office revenue with this weekend’s business.
After breaking records with the biggest Thanksgiving weekend and 5-day opening numbers, “Moana 2,” directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, has continued to shatter records.
Now sitting at over $1B, the film has helped Disney to be the only studio to top $5B in the global box office for 2024. Other accolades for the sequel include being the second highest grossing animated film in Brazil and France along with being the highest grossing Walt Disney Animated Studios release ever in the same countries and many more across the world.
“Moana 2” is only the 32nd Disney-owned film to surpass this mark along with recent animated blockbusters “Frozen,” “Frozen 2,” and “Zootopia.” The original “Moana” film, released in 2016, grossed only $687.7 million worldwide compared to its sequel.
However, this achievement comes on the heels of a lawsuit stating that elements of the film constitute idea theft. The lawsuit was filed January 10 and claims that animator Buck Woodall believes Disney stole his ideas from his copyrighted screenplay, titled “Bucky.” Similar concepts can be found in “Bucky” and both “Moana” films such as themes of teenagers defying their parents to go on a sea voyage, inclusion of a tattooed demigod with a giant hook, and plot points involving an important necklace.
In November, the court ruled that it was too late for Woodall to file the copyright lawsuit for the original “Moana,” but with the release of “Moana 2,” he was able to initiate further legal action. The court has concluded that someone at Disney Animation may have seen the copyrighted “Bucky” materials prior to the development of “Moana,” but Disney asserts that no one involved in the production ever viewed the screenplay.
“Moana 2” focuses on the namesake’s newfound freedom to explore the vast ocean surrounding her island, while she looks for the future of her people out on the water.
Originally slated to be an animated Disney+ series, it was announced in early 2024 to be transitioning into this feature film with returning stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, Temuera Morrison as Tui, and Alan Tudyk as HeiHei the chicken. Newcomers Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Moana’s little sister Simea, Rose Matafeo as Loto, Hualalai Chang as Moni, and Awhimai Fraser as Matangi were added to the cast.
You can read our full review of “Moana 2” here.
A live-action Moana is also in the works and began filming this summer. It is scheduled for release in theaters on July 10, 2026.
Source: Deadline
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