Disney has continued its record-breaking year at the box office with its latest animated release Moana sailing to top spot in North America with an $81.1 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekiend.
Moana has surpassed Toy Story 2 ($80 million) for the second-biggest ever Thanksgiving opening, but trails fellow Disney release Frozen, which debuted with $93 million. Domestically, Disney now has nine of the top 10 Thanksgiving openings of all time.
SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of Moana here and here
Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast South Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one today knows why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds.
Moana opens in the UK this Friday, December 2nd, and features a voice cast that includes newcomer Auli’i Cravalho alongside Dwayne Johnson (Fast & Furious 7), Jemaine Clement (The BFG), Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones), Alan Tudyk (Zootopia) and Nicole Scherzinger.
Originally published November 28, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
