It has only taken Moana 2 five days to set a new viewership record on Disney+. The animated sequel came to Disney+ on March 12 after Moana 2‘s box office earned nearly $1.06 billion worldwide. It had a particularly strong theatrical debut, which saw the movie have the best five-day Thanksgiving opening of all time, along with garnering the largest opening day gross of all time for an animated Disney film. Staying in theaters for more than 100 days contributed to the extensive box office success before becoming available to stream.
According to TheWrap, Moana 2 has received 27.3 million views in its first five days on Disney+, which is the third all-time highest launch for a theatrical movie on the streaming platform. It is also the best streaming debut for a Walt Disney Studios Animation movie since Encanto in December 2021, although this was after a mere 30-day theatrical run for Encanto. One of the few movies to receive more views than Moana 2 in its first five days on Disney+ is Inside Out 2, which amᴀssed 30.5 million views during that time.
What This Means For Moana 2
The Sequel Is A Box Office And Streaming Success
Moana 2‘s initial streaming numbers confirm that the movie is now both a box office and streaming hit. This is further proof of why Moana 2 being a Disney+ show would have been the wrong financial decision for Disney. Making the sequel exclusive to streaming would have prevented Disney from making the nearly $1.06 billion worldwide box office that came with the movie’s dominant theatrical run. On top of these box office numbers, Disney can now enjoy the extensive streaming viewership and its positive impact on streaming subscriptions as well.
Among the reasons Disney CEO Bob Iger shared for why Moana 2 became a movie, he revealed that the original Moana has been watched for more than 1 billion hours on Disney+, and received more views than any movie across all streaming platforms in 2023. The robust viewership enjoyed by the 2016 movie is already carrying over into the strong debut numbers for Moana 2. Much like its predecessor, the family-friendly Moana 2 will likely become a favorite for many repeat viewings.
Our Take On Moana 2’s Record-Breaking Disney+ Debut
It’s All Good News For Disney
Moana 2‘s Disney+ debut numbers may not be surprising, but they are still impressive. With this particular movie, Disney is able to profit from the best of the theatrical and streaming worlds, which bodes well for Moana 3 being greenlit. In terms of the actual story in the second movie, some of the pacing, new characters, and plot developments feel like they may have been better suited for a streaming series. Regardless, after the box office and streaming success of Moana 2, any future sequels will definitely be released in theaters first.
Source: TheWrap
