Disney added another film to its growing list of box-office hits this week.
Moana, an animated film about a Polynesian princess who teams up with a demigod to save her island, earned an estimated $55.5 million between Friday and Sunday and an estimated $81.1 million in total since opening on Tuesday night.
That’s the second-best opening of any film released over the American Thanksgiving, behind the $93.6 million that Frozen earned in its first five days in 2013.
It is also the best opening of any non-sequel starring Dwayne Johnson, beating the $54.6 million that San Andreas opened to last year. (The Friday-to-Sunday portion of Moana’s debut ranks fifth among Johnson’s first weekends overall, behind the last three Fast & Furious sequels and 2001’s The Mummy Returns.)
The news was less good for three other new wide releases this week.
Allied, starring Brad Pitt as a Canadian military intelligence officer who falls for a French resistance fighter during World War II, landed in fourth place with $13 million for the weekend and $18 million since Tuesday night.
That’s the lowest opening for a Robert Zemeckis film in wide release since 1992’s Death Becomes Her (though it is ahead of last year’s The Walk), and one of the lowest openings ever for a wide release with Brad Pitt in the lead role. Allied does, however, have the fifth-best North American opening of Marion Cotillard’s career.
In a more quasi-seasonal vein, Bad Santa 2 landed in eighth place with $6.1 million for the weekend and $9 million since Tuesday night, which is about half of what the original Bad Santa opened to in 2003. (The original film opened in fifth place.)
And Rules Don’t Apply — the first film to star Warren Beatty since 2001’s Town & Country, and the first to be directed by him since 1998’s Bulworth — landed in 12th place with $1.6 million for the weekend and $2.2 million since Tuesday night. That’s the lowest wide opening for a Warren Beatty film since at least the 1970s.
A couple of holdovers passed significant milestones this week.
Doctor Strange — which landed in third place in North America with $13.4 million this weekend — is now the top-grossing single-character origin story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe worldwide. The film has earned $616 million globally, which puts it ahead of the $585.2 million the previous champ, Iron Man, earned in 2008.
The only other MCU non-sequel ahead of Doctor Strange worldwide is the ensemble film Guardians of the Galaxy, which grossed $773.3 million in 2014.1
And Arrival — which landed in fifth place with $11.3 million, a drop of only 7.3% since last weekend, thereby raising its cume to $62.4 million — has passed Prisoners (2013, $61 million) to become the top-grossing Denis Villeneuve film in North America (though it is still behind Prisoners overseas and worldwide).
Meanwhile, in other box-office news…
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them earned $45.1 million and ranked second in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $156.2 million. The film has earned another $317.5 million overseas for a global total of $473.7 million.
Trolls earned $10.3 million and ranked sixth in its fourth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $135.1 million. The film has earned another $155.9 million overseas for a global total of $291 million.
Almost Christmas earned $7.6 million and ranked seventh in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $36.7 million. The film has earned another $65,544 overseas for a global total of $36.8 million.
Hacksaw Ridge earned $5.5 million and ranked ninth in its fourth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $52.2 million. The film has earned another $10.9 million overseas for a global total of $63.1 million.
And The Edge of Seventeen earned $2.9 million and ranked tenth in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $10.3 million. The film does not seem to have been released overseas yet.
Now for a bit of extra data on the year’s top-grossing animated films:
In North America, The Secret Life of Pets still ranks eighth among animated films:
- 2016 — Finding Dory (Pixar) — $486.3 million
- 2004 — Shrek 2 (DreamWorks) — $441.2 million
- 1994 — The Lion King (Disney) — $422.8 million
- 2010 — Toy Story 3 (Pixar) — $415.0 million
- 2013 — Frozen (Disney) — $400.7 million
- 2003 — Finding Nemo (Pixar) — $380.8 million
- 2013 — Despicable Me 2 (Universal) — $368.1 million
- 2016 — The Secret Life of Pets (Universal) — $367.6 million
- 2015 — Inside Out (Pixar) — $356.5 million
- 2016 — Zootopia (Disney) — $341.3 million
Overseas, Finding Dory still ranks 10th while The Secret Life of Pets still ranks 13th:
- 2013 — Frozen (Disney) — $875.7 million
- 2015 — Minions (Universal) — $823.4 million
- 2012 — Ice Age: Continental Drift (Fox) — $715.9 million
- 2009 — Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox) — $690.1 million
- 2016 — Zootopia (Disney) — $682.5 million
- 2010 — Toy Story 3 (Pixar) — $648.2 million
- 2013 — Despicable Me 2 (Universal) — $602.7 million
- 2003 — Finding Nemo (Pixar) — $559.5 million
- 1994 — The Lion King (Disney) — $545.7 million
- 2016 — Finding Dory (Pixar) — $540.1 million
- 2012 — Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (DreamWorks) — $530.5 million
- 2010 — Shrek Forever After (DreamWorks) — $513.9 million
- 2016 — The Secret Life of Pets (Universal) — $506.1 million
- 2015 — Inside Out (Pixar) — $501.1 million
- 2011 — Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks) — $500.4 million
- 2004 — Shrek 2 (DreamWorks) — $478.6 million
- 2007 — Shrek the Third (DreamWorks) — $476.2 million
- 2013 — Monsters University (Pixar) — $475.7 million
- 2006 — Ice Age: The Meltdown (Fox) — $465.6 million
- 2014 — How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks) — $444.5 million
And worldwide, Finding Dory still ranks fourth and The Secret Life of Pets still ranks 12th:
- 2013 — Frozen (Disney) — $400.7 + 875.7 = 1276.5 million
- 2015 — Minions (Universal) — $336.0 + 823.4 = 1159.4 million
- 2010 — Toy Story 3 (Pixar) — $415.0 + 648.2 = 1063.2 million
- 2016 — Finding Dory (Pixar) — $486.3 + 540.1 = 1026.4 million
- 2016 — Zootopia (Disney) — $341.3 + 682.5 = 1023.8 million
- 2013 — Despicable Me 2 (Universal) — $368.1 + 602.7 = 970.8 million
- 1994 — The Lion King (Disney) — $422.8 + 545.7 = 968.5 million
- 2003 — Finding Nemo (Pixar) — $380.8 + 559.5 = 940.3 million
- 2004 — Shrek 2 (DreamWorks) — $441.2 + 478.6 = 919.8 million
- 2009 — Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox) — $196.6 + 690.1 = 886.7 million
- 2012 — Ice Age: Continental Drift (Fox) — $161.3 + 715.9 = 877.2 million
- 2016 — The Secret Life of Pets (Universal) — $367.6 + 506.1 = 873.7 million
- 2015 — Inside Out (Pixar) — $356.5 + 501.1 = 857.6 million
- 2007 — Shrek the Third (DreamWorks) — $322.7 + 476.2 = 799.0 million
- 2010 — Shrek Forever After (DreamWorks) — $238.7 + 513.9 = 752.6 million
- 2012 — Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (DreamWorks) — $216.4 + 530.5 = 746.9 million
- 2013 — Monsters University (Pixar) — $268.5 + 475.7 = 744.2 million
- 2009 — Up (Pixar) — $293.0 + 442.1 = 735.1 million
- 2011 — Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks) — $165.2 + 500.4 = 665.7 million
- 2006 — Ice Age: The Meltdown (Fox) — $195.3 + 465.6 = 660.9 million
Next week brings us Incarnate.
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1. For the purposes of this discussion, the original Avengers was basically a mega-sequel, given that all of its major characters — heroes and villains alike — had been featured in earlier films.
