Big Thanksgiving Box Office Showdown Expected as ‘Moana 2‘ Sails In
Get ready for a blockbuster Thanksgiving at the movies. This year’s holiday weekend promises a feast of cinematic treats, with analysts predicting the biggest box office haul since the pandemic began. Fueling the frenzy are three highly anticipated tentpole releases: Disney’s animated sequel “Moana 2,” the spellbinding musical adaptation “Wicked,” and the action-packed gladiator epic “Gladiator II.”
The Thanksgiving box office blitz could easily surpass $200 million in ticket sales over the five-day weekend, according to industry experts. That could propel this year’s holiday period into the second or third highest-grossing Thanksgiving ever.
“The trifecta of ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Wicked’, and ‘Gladiator II’ is a bona fide perfect storm for movie theaters this Thanksgiving,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory.
He added, “The holiday used to regularly see major releases combining for all-audience appeal, but that’s been a challenge for the industry to replicate in the post-pandemic era so far. This year is much different with such a holy trinity of tentpole releases that could anchor some of the biggest all-around box office results the holiday frame has ever seen.”
Thanksgiving has traditionally been a bellwether for the year-end box office performance.
“Thanksgiving is arguably the most important holiday period of the year for movie theaters as it sets the tone for the year-end box office sprint,”explained Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
“The strength of the final few weeks of the year will determine the total annual box office revenue and its perception as either a win or a loss for the industry.”
Disney Hopes ‘Moana 2’ Makes a Splash
Disney is banking on “Moana 2” to revive its animation slate, which has struggled to make a splash in recent years. The studio dominated the Thanksgiving box office in previous years with titles like “Moana,” “Coco,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and “Frozen II.”
However, recent releases such as “Encanto,” “Strange World,” and “Wish” fell short of expectations. Can “Moana 2”, arriving a year after the original was crowned the top-streamed film for kids and families, re-establish Disney’s animation dominance?
The studio also enjoyed success this summer with the sequel, “Inside Out 2,” which opened to a robust $154.2 million domestically and went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
With the combination of nostalgia for the beloved original and Disney’s knack for delivering family-friendly blockbusters, “Moana 2” is poised to make a big wave this Thanksgiving.
Which three movies are expected to drive record-breaking Thanksgiving weekend box office numbers?
## Thanksgiving Box Office Showdown: Sailing into a Record-Breaking Weekend?
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. This Thanksgiving, movie theaters are bracing for a potential box office tsunami. Joining us today to discuss this cinematic feast is Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of BoxOffice.com. Shawn, thanks for being here.
**Shawn Robbins:** Thanks for having me. It’s shaping up to be a truly exciting Thanksgiving weekend for moviegoers.
**Host:** So, tell us about these box office predictions. It sounds like we’re in for a record-breaking weekend.
**Shawn Robbins:** Absolutely. Several factors are pointing towards a potentially historic Thanksgiving weekend. We’re seeing incredible buzz surrounding three major releases: “Moana 2,” “Wicked,” and “Gladiator II.” These films cater to different audiences, and that widespread appeal is going to drive huge numbers.
**Host:** And specifically, what kind of numbers are we talking about?
**Shawn Robbins:** Industry experts predict the five-day Thanksgiving weekend could easily surpass $200 million in ticket sales. That would make it one of the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekends ever recorded.
**Host:** That’s incredible! Can you expand on why these three films in particular are generating so much excitement?
**Shawn Robbins:** “Moana 2” already has a built-in fanbase thanks to the immense success of the original. The “Wicked” musical adaptation has been highly anticipated for years, and “Gladiator II” taps into the nostalgia for the original blockbuster while promising a fresh, action-packed story. It’s a perfect storm of popular genres and beloved franchises. [1](https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/thanksgiving-box-office-moana-2-aims-to-eclipse-frozen-2-holiday-record-with-massive-135-million-debut/ar-AA1uNSpm)
**Host:** This sounds like a weekend movie-goers won’t want to miss. Thanks for giving us the insight, Shawn.
**Shawn Robbins:** My pleasure. Enjoy the movies!
