The Moana sequel has found success on the African continent-particularly in South Africa where it made history. Picture: Supplied
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2 is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time at the South African box office.
The movie has also been a hit on the African continent; which could speak to its relatability with people of colour, as the movie is centred around Pacific islanders.
When the sequel was released on the final weekend of November last year, it became an instant hit throughout the continent.
Moana 2 became the highest opening weekend of all time for any animated film released at the East and West African box office, the highest opening weekend of 2024 at the East African box office and the second-highest opening weekend of 2024 at the West and Southern African box offices.
The second instalment of the movie sees Moana reunite with Maui for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers.
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
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The box office success means Walt Disney Studios holds the top three films of 2024 at the Southern African box office to date, with Moana 2 joining Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine.
Further across the African continent, Moana 2 also claims the title of the highest-grossing animated film of all time in East and West Africa.
According to CNBC, Moana snared $442.8 million at the domestic box office and $567.1 million in international markets, and the company posted over the weekend.
It is the fourth film from the Walt Disney Animation arm to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales, alongside Frozen, Frozen II and Zootopia.
This feat is another feather in the cap for Disney, which had struggled in the years after the pandemic to gain traction with its animated releases.
Much of the company’s difficulties stemmed, in part, from decisions to debut a handful of animated features directly on its streaming service Disney+.
This trained parents to look for new content at home even after theatrical closures ended and films returned to cinemas.
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