MOANA 2 Predicted to Lead November Box Office, Surpassing WICKED

With Wicked seeing huge pre-sale ticket numbers, the upcoming film is likely to do well at the box office. But, seemingly, not quite as well as Moana 2.

According to a new report in Deadline, the first part of Wicked is looking to gross between $67M and $74M during its opening weekend next month. This falls below Moana 2, Disney's animated sequel that is tracking to do $75M-$82M during Friday-Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. If Moana 2 reaches these numbers, it would be the biggest opening for Disney since Frozen 2, which brought in $125M for the company in 2019. Both films will also compete with Gladiator II, currently in third place with a $42M-$47M opening.

To compare, the Mean Girls musical film opened with $28M over the MLK holiday weekend earlier this year. During 2023's holiday season, the movie musical Wonka grossed $43M during its opening weekend. 

The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. The first part will be released on November 22, 2024, with Part Two hitting theaters on November 21, 2025.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 reunites Moana (voice of Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. With music by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27, 2024. The first Moana debuted in theaters on Nov. 23, 2016, grossing nearly $644 million in global box office.