Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – “Moana 2,” the sequel to the animated Disney musical about a spirited Polynesian teenager who embarks on seafaring adventures, has topped the North American box office for a second week, according to industry estimates. In the new installment of the hit, the title character, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, teams up with an unlikely crew and travels the far seas of Oceania to break the curse of an evil god who sank a mystical island. She gets help from a once-mighty demigod called Maui, who is voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The film took in $52 million over the weekend, a downturn from its debut over the long Thanksgiving holiday when it brought in a mega haul of $225 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The weekend’s top four films remained unchanged from last weekend, with each earning thousands to tens of thousands of dollars less in revenue. “Following the big openings over Thanksgiving, the first two weekends in December are quiet and driven by holdover business,” said analyst David A. Gross.
Universal’s “Wicked: Part I,” the latest offshoot of the classic “Wizard of Oz,” raked in $34.9 million in its third weekend in theaters. In third place, the other hotly awaited holiday season release, Paramount’s “Gladiator II,” earned $12.5 million. Remaining in fourth was the Christmas comedy “Red One” from Amazon and MGM, earning $7.0 million in revenue. It is the second film in the top four featuring Johnson, who portrays a North Pole security officer trying to find a kidnapped Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) on Christmas Eve.
In fifth place was the Indian action flick “Pushpa 2 – The Rule,” chalking up $5.0 million. Rounding out the top 10 were: “Interstellar: 10th Anniversary” ($4.4 million), “Solo Leveling – ReAwakening” ($2.4 million), “Y2K” ($2.1 million), “For KING + COUNTRY’s A Drummer Boy Christmas LIVE” ($2.1 million), and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” ($1.5 million).
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