Moana paddled its way to the top of the Thanksgiving Day box office, with an impressive opening so far for the Disney animated tent-pole feature.
The film, a musical romp set in the South Pacific and featuring voice work from Dwayne Johnson and songs by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, debuted on Wednesday to a strong $15 million (Dh55 million), leading into an estimated Thursday take of nearly $10 million, good for a $25 million haul so far this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
The film earned incredibly strong reviews, including a 97 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chang said that “Those seeking a vacation from everyday reality without springing for that last-minute island getaway will scarcely believe their good fortune.”
Moana knocked Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Harry Potter-adjacent film starring Eddie Redmayne, from the top spot. Despite slipping to second, Beasts is having a strong weekend, pulling in $11 million on Wednesday and $9 million on Thursday. That brings its total to more than $110 million in its first week of release.
Doctor Strange, Disney’s latest Marvel superhero extravaganza, continued to be a force on the charts, pulling in $2.5 million to keep it at No. 3. Its total earnings in 21 days of release is closing in on $200 million. Brad Pitt’s Second World War drama Allied came in at expectations, with just a little more than $2 million on Thursday for a two-day total of $5 million. The alien-invasion thriller Arrival continued to stay strong on word of mouth, hovering right at $2 million on Thursday for a total of $51 million in two weeks of release.
