Disney's Moana Rules Thanksgiving Box Office With $81 Million

CBR

By Megan Tambio

Published Nov 27, 2016

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" came in second at the North American box office, followed by Marvel's "Doctor Strange."

Another week, big opening for Disney.

The studio's latest princess (errr ... daughter of a chief) film "Moana" has brought in a whopping $81.1 million since its U.S. premiere on Wednesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That's enough to dethrone "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" during its second week at the domestic box office.

The "Harry Potter" spinoff earned another $65.8 million, bringing its North American tally to $156.2 million. However, the film continues to dominate overseas, where it earned an additional $132 million, pushing its international haul to $317.5 million.

"Moana" is still being rolled out in other international markets, including the United Kingdom.

Having one blockbuster smash is rarely enough for Disney. Despite being in its fourth week, "Doctor Strange" still easily came in third with $18.9 million domestically, adding to its now $616 million global earning.

At the bottom of the box office? Warren Beatty's Howard Hughes homage "Rules Don't Apply" (ask your grandparents, kids), which made $2 million. Other new releases came with a smattering of modest returns, including the Brad Pitt World WAr II drama "Allied" with $18 million, and the followup to the Billy Bob Thorton cult classic "Bad Santa 2" with $9 million.

To give further perspective on "Moana"s numbers: The only film that has topped its Thanksgiving release was "Frozen" -- and it too has Mickey Mouse's glove prints all over it.

Directed by Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker and Chris Williams, "Moana" stars newcomer Auli'i' Cravalho as the titular Polynesian princess and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the larger-than-life Maui,and features music from "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.