Moana 2has finally fulfilled its destiny in Disney’s mind with its new release.The 2024 animated Disney movie is the long-awaited sequel to 2016’s massive box office and cultural hit. The Walt Disney Animation sequel debuted in theaters in late November, where is was met with mixed reception from critics. Audiences were much more favorable to it, resulting inMoana 2’s box officeclimbing higher than anticipated and finishing with a worldwide gross of over $1 billion. After a wildly successful theatrical run,Moana 2is now streaming on Disney+for the first time.
Moana 2 Is Finally Streaming On Disney+, Just As Disney Originally Intended
Moana 2 Was Previously A TV Show
Moana 2’s Disney+ release is destiny fulfilled, as the movie was initially meant to be a streaming exclusive TV show. Surprisingly, Disney did not start developing aMoanasequel after the 2016 release. It wasn’t until December 2020 that the studio announced that Moana’s story would continue, albeit with a Disney+ exclusive TV series.Moana: The Series, as it was originally called, was meant to last for five episodes and was intended for a 2023 release. That all changed in February 2024 when Disney announced the show had been reworked intoMoana 2and was coming out nine months later.
Moana 2 Ending Explained: What Happens To Moana & How It Sets Up Moana 3
Moana 2’s ending sets the stage for the franchise to grow even more expansive and gives the titular Wayfinder an unexpected new direction.
That radical change to the development ofMoana: The Seriesled Disney to releaseMoana 2in theaters. Roughly 14 months after that announcement, the film is finally streaming on Disney+. In this way,Moana 2has fulfilled its destiny. The story made forMoana: The Seriescan now be fully seen on the streaming service in the form ofMoana 2. It might not be a TV show anymore or contain everything that would have been seen in a series, but the core story remains. Now, Disney can revel in the glory ofMoana 2’s streaming release.
Disney’s Decision To Change Moana 2 Into A Movie Paid Off
The Box Office Speaks For Itself
If there was any doubt that Disney was making the right decision to transitionMoana 2from a TV show to a movie, the sequel’s box office results end them. Box office projections were always kind to the film, with it expected to make over $100 million during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Those projections nearly doubled after the film’s first day of release as it had a record $57.8 million start. Projections then called for a $200 million five-day opening.
Moana 2’s opening weekend box office broke several recordsas it beat even the adjusted projections. The film opened to $139.8 million over the traditional three-day weekend, whilethe five-day weekend gross was $225 million. It broke records for the highest Thanksgiving Day gross, the biggest opening weekend for a Walt Disney Animation film, and the biggest Thanksgiving weekend release.Moana 2even beatThe Super Mario Bros. Movie’s record worldwide opening for an animated movie by making $389 million globally during the first five days.
From that point on,Moana 2continued to perform incredibly well in theaters. It became a $1 billion earner in less than two months. The film’s final box office total is $1.05 billion. It wasthe third-highest grossing movie of 2024 worldwideand the fourth biggest domestically. All in all,Moana 2was a gigantic financial success with a reported $150 million budget.
Moana 2 Was Always A Better Box Office Bet Than A Streaming Play
Moana Is A Hit Wherever The Franchise Is At Really
The final results ofMoana 2prove that the property was always a better bet at the box office. The first movie made over $680 million at the box office. Disney also has a strong history of turning sequels into even bigger success stories. Thatshould have madeMoana 2a no-brainer play for a theatrical release. Instead, Disney almost missed a billion-dollar film due to their push to increase original content on Disney+. The studio was also already working on the live-actionMoana, signaling a desire to have the franchise’s movie future be there and not in animation.
Moana: The Seriescould have been Disney+’s most-watched TV show
Moana 2’s Disney+ Release Gives The Movie A Second Life
The Movie Can Find Success Once Again
Now thatMoana 2has arrived on Disney+ as a $1 billion box office hit, Disney benefits from the movie’s resurgence in popularity. It’s the very first title you see on the Disney+ homepage right now and has already become the #1 title on the streaming service overall.Disney is celebrating the film’s theatrical success on the home page, as the card says,“Watch The Box Office Hit Now.“The movie is already something most people know about and have probably already seen. That level of attention and interest is not something that would’ve come with a straight-to-Disney+ release.
If it had been a TV show and just released on streaming, its lifespan would have lasted a few weeks or months. Now,Moana 2can be a theatrical and streaming success. Just how big of a hit it is on Disney+ will be revealed later on, as Disney will certainly celebrate any streaming records it breaks.
