Movies

Moana and Mufasa poised to lead holiday box office with billion-dollar grosses

BBG News

As someone who has grown up with Disney movies shaping my childhood memories, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and excitement as we approach the holiday season at the movies! The upcoming releases of Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King have me counting down the days.

October is nearly on its last days. That means that holiday season at the movies is in!

Disney is eagerly anticipating the impact of their two significant upcoming films, “Moana 2” and “The Lion King: Mufasa,” on the box office. Both sequels have generated a lot of buzz and anticipation, which suggests they could be blockbusters during the holiday season.

Moving forward, “Moana 2” – the follow-up to the 2016 Disney animated success – is projected to gross more than $100 million during the Thanksgiving week. According to Quorum’s predictions, approximately $75-82 million of this will be earned from Friday through Sunday.

The prediction positions it beneath “Frozen 2” and its $125 million earnings during Thanksgiving, which was Disney’s last high-grossing holiday. Similarly, it appears that “Moana 2” may follow a similar upward trend.

Initially released in 2016, the movie “Moana” proved to be quite successful, raking in $687.2 million globally. However, it truly shone during its home release, particularly on Disney+, where it consistently ranked high among streaming choices, making it a regular feature in overall viewing statistics.

As a gaming enthusiast, I was thrilled when I first learned that the sequel to my favorite animated movie, Moana, initially planned as a limited series for a popular streaming platform, was being reimagined as a full-length feature film! With its upcoming live-action adaptation, it’s evident that Moana is quickly reaching the same iconic status as Frozen. There’s even talk about potential box office earnings of a billion dollars – an exciting prospect indeed!

While it’s true that some movies live up to expectations, the same may not necessarily apply to “Mufasa: The Lion King”. Predictions for the box office performance of this high-budget sequel, helmed by Barry Jenkins who directed “Moonlight”, are currently uncertain. Several factors can influence its success or failure.

One key observation is that the first movie received a mixed response. Although The Lion King 2019 grossed $1.66 billion globally, critics gave it a mediocre assessment, as evidenced by its 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (at present). However, the audience seemed to be more favorable towards it, indicated by the 88% score on the review aggregator site.

It’s often the case that Disney live-action remake sequels don’t fare as well financially as their originals. For instance, Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland grossed $1.03 billion, whereas its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, made only $299.5 million. Similarly, Maleficent brought in $758.5 million and its sequel, Mistress of Evil, managed to earn $492.2 million.

A minor mistake in the sequel could cause a sharp decline in viewer interest, even with a fresh director and creative perspective. However, Barry Jenkins seems particularly qualified to revisit the early life of the future ruler of the Pride Lands, much like how The Godfather Part II was structured.

In any manner you look at it, these upcoming animated blockbusters are certain to dominate the box office next year in 2024, extending the studio’s successful run of hits.

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2024-10-31 00:57

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