“Moana 2” will make history after its big theatrical release

Disney’s Moana 2 will break a Thanksgiving box office record after a grand opening that reportedly grossed more than $57 million on Wednesday.

The film, which was originally planned as a Disney+ TV show before being adapted into a film, disappointed critics before its release, but that hasn’t stopped families from flocking to theaters to see the sequel.

The film was reported to have grossed $57.5 million on its opening day and is now expected to gross at least $175 million (£137 million) in its first five days in cinemas.

diversity reported that this could cause Moana 2 the biggest Thanksgiving opening weekend ever, surpassing previous records of Frozen II ($125m/£98m) and up The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($109m/£85m).

Amazingly, these opening numbers are already available Moana 2 third most for an animated film, a close second Incredible 2 ($71m/£56m) and Inside Out 2 ($63m/£50m).

Overall, Moana 2 has grossed $66 million (£51 million) at the global box office.

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In the film, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns to the role of the demigod Maui, alongside Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana.

The original film, released in 2016, tells the story of an adventurous teenager who sets out on a dangerous mission to save her people. On her journey she meets Maui, who accompanies her on her search. It became a huge success through word of mouth, grossing more than $680 million (£535 million) worldwide.

At the premiere of the new film, Johnson told fans who come to theaters to watch Moana 2 should sing along to the songs if they want.

“Especially if you love music, that’s the fun,” Johnson said BBC News.

“Sing! You paid your hard-earned money for a ticket, went to a musical and loved it. Sing.”

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This came after a controversy surrounding the release of the highly anticipated musical EvilCinema chain AMC bans fans from singing along to songs during screenings and encourages them to respect other moviegoers.

Evil has enjoyed an astronomical box office opening after hitting theaters on November 22nd. diversity reports that the film, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is expected to gross more than $240 million (£189 million) domestically by the end of the week.

Gladiator 2The Film, starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, was also popular at the box office, grossing more than $141 million (£111 million) in the United States alone.