Moana 2 has finally fulfilled its destiny in Disney’s mind with its new release. The 2024 animated Disney movie is the long-awaited sequel to 2016’s massive box office and cultural hit. The Walt Disney Animation sequel debuted in theaters in late November, where is was met with mixed reception from critics. Audiences were much more favorable to it, resulting in Moana 2‘s box office climbing higher than anticipated and finishing with a worldwide gross of over $1 billion. After a wildly successful theatrical run, Moana 2 is now streaming on Disney+ for the first time.
Ever since Disney launched its streaming service in 2019, it has become customary for the studio’s new releases to come to Disney+ a few months after they premiere in theaters. The studio can wait out the gap between new major movie releases on the platform by making original movies and shows intended to be seen only on streaming. Now that Moana 2 is on streaming, Disney has a title that should be a popular viewing choice for subscribers for years on end. The release is even more notable considering Disney’s original intention for the film.
Moana 2 Is Finally Streaming On Disney+, Just As Disney Originally Intended
Moana 2 Was Previously A TV Show
Moana 2‘s Disney+ release is destiny fulfilled, as the movie was initially meant to be a streaming exclusive TV show. Surprisingly, Disney did not start developing a Moana sequel after the 2016 release. It wasn’t until December 2020 that the studio announced that Moana’s story would continue, albeit with a Disney+ exclusive TV series. Moana: The Series, as it was originally called, was meant to last for five episodes and was intended for a 2023 release. That all changed in February 2024 when Disney announced the show had been reworked into Moana 2 and was coming out nine months later.
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That radical change to the development of Moana: The Series led Disney to release Moana 2 in theaters. Roughly 14 months after that announcement, the film is finally streaming on Disney+. In this way, Moana 2 has fulfilled its destiny. The story made for Moana: The Series can now be fully seen on the streaming service in the form of Moana 2. It might not be a TV show anymore or contain everything that would have been seen in a series, but the core story remains. Now, Disney can revel in the glory of Moana 2‘s streaming release.
Disney’s Decision To Change Moana 2 Into A Movie Paid Off
The Box Office Speaks For Itself
If there was any doubt that Disney was making the right decision to transition Moana 2 from a TV show to a movie, the sequel’s box office results end them. Box office projections were always kind to the film, with it expected to make over $100 million during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Those projections nearly doubled after the film’s first day of release as it had a record $57.8 million start. Projections then called for a $200 million five-day opening.
Moana 2‘s opening weekend box office broke several records as it beat even the adjusted projections. The film opened to $139.8 million over the traditional three-day weekend, while the five-day weekend gross was $225 million. It broke records for the highest Thanksgiving Day gross, the biggest opening weekend for a Walt Disney Animation film, and the biggest Thanksgiving weekend release. Moana 2 even beat The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s record worldwide opening for an animated movie by making $389 million globally during the first five days.
From that point on, Moana 2 continued to perform incredibly well in theaters. It became a $1 billion earner in less than two months. The film’s final box office total is $1.05 billion. It was the third-highest grossing movie of 2024 worldwide and the fourth biggest domestically. All in all, Moana 2 was a gigantic financial success with a reported $150 million budget.
Moana 2 Was Always A Better Box Office Bet Than A Streaming Play
Moana Is A Hit Wherever The Franchise Is At Really
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
The final results of Moana 2 prove that the property was always a better bet at the box office. The first movie made over $680 million at the box office. Disney also has a strong history of turning sequels into even bigger success stories. That should have made Moana 2 a no-brainer play for a theatrical release. Instead, Disney almost missed a billion-dollar film due to their push to increase original content on Disney+. The studio was also already working on the live-action Moana, signaling a desire to have the franchise’s movie future be there and not in animation.
Moana: The Series could have been Disney+’s most-watched TV show
Moana‘s popularity is also likely why Disney thought moving the animated franchise to streaming could be beneficial. The first film has been a consistent hit on Disney+ for the last six years. It was even the second-most-streamed movie of 2021 based on Nielsen’s findings reported by Deadline. It is understandable then that Disney would want to make some original Moana stories for Disney+ subscribers who clearly love the characters and world. Moana: The Series could have been Disney+’s most-watched TV show if interest had held.
Whatever viewership figures and subscriber growth Moana: The Series could have brought in certainly would not match the heights of Moana 2‘s box office
Still, Disney has had some difficulty turning its Disney+ original shows into massive events, outside of The Mandalorian and some Marvel titles. Whatever viewership figures and subscriber growth Moana: The Series could have brought in certainly would not match the heights of Moana 2‘s box office. The sequel’s $1 billion performance was not necessarily predicted, but the movie would have still been a massive success for the studio if it made $700-$800 million. Disney should have always wanted the Moana franchise to continue in theaters over streaming, especially considering how that release strategy can help Disney+.
Moana 2’s Disney+ Release Gives The Movie A Second Life
The Movie Can Find Success Once Again
Now that Moana 2 has arrived on Disney+ as a $1 billion box office hit, Disney benefits from the movie’s resurgence in popularity. It’s the very first title you see on the Disney+ homepage right now and has already become the #1 title on the streaming service overall. Disney is celebrating the film’s theatrical success on the home page, as the card says, “Watch The Box Office Hit Now.” The movie is already something most people know about and have probably already seen. That level of attention and interest is not something that would’ve come with a straight-to-Disney+ release.
With the movie already becoming the top choice for subscribers, Moana 2 is destined to be one of the most watched Disney+ releases of the year. People can now rewatch it as many times as they want from the comfort of their own homes. Families who did not make the trip to theaters also now have easy access too. All this helps Moana 2 get a second wave of interest that otherwise was impossible based on Disney’s original plans.
If it had been a TV show and just released on streaming, its lifespan would have lasted a few weeks or months. Now, Moana 2 can be a theatrical and streaming success. Just how big of a hit it is on Disney+ will be revealed later on, as Disney will certainly celebrate any streaming records it breaks.
