Biggest Box Offices for A Disney Animated Film & Sequel, Ranked (Including Moana 2)

As a die-hard movie enthusiast with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the box office success stories outlined in this article are truly astounding. The sheer growth and longevity these sequels have achieved are nothing short of remarkable.

“Moana 2” Sets New Records and Exceeds Expectations

Note that only opening weekends were counted, whether they were three-day debuts or, as is the case with Moana 2, five-day debuts. Furthermore, only the first and second films were subject to inclusion, even if the second film was a prequel. That means Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and Cars 3 didn’t factor in. However, inflation did factor in. And, considering The Rescuers came out too long ago to ascertain a correct opening weekend figure, it and The Rescuers Down Under were omitted. That said, Down Under debuted to just $3.5 million, so it would be safe to assume the mouse-led duology would land in last place.

Wreck-It Ralph — $174 Million

Disney’s innovative film “Wreck-It Ralph” earned an impressive $49 million within its first three days, a figure equivalent to approximately $67.4 million in current value. While it may not reach the heights of Pixar’s box office successes, this is still a commendable achievement.

Back in 2018, the movie Ralph Breaks the Internet generated $84.8 million during its first five days. Adjusted for inflation, this would equate to approximately $106.6 million in 2024 dollars. Out of this total, around $70.6 million was earned from Friday through Sunday. Essentially, even though it’s not a direct comparison due to different release strategies, the sequel suggests that the original film’s opening was nearer to the franchise’s peak potential rather than its minimum.

Cars — $186.9 Million

Initially, the first “Cars” movie earned approximately $94.1 million during its initial three-day run at the box office. However, this figure wasn’t quite as high as that generated by Pixar’s previous film, “The Incredibles.” Yet, it surpassed the earnings of the subsequent “Ratatouille.” Interestingly, the “Cars” franchise has always been about toy sales almost as much as box office returns, if not more so.

2011’s “Cars 2” also follows this pattern, as its adjusted three-day opening earned $92.8 million – lower than the original, but significantly higher than the adjusted $69.2 million debut of “Cars 3” in 2017. Despite the popularity of toys associated with the third movie, its box office performance was still considered a letdown compared to expectations. It wasn’t as big a letdown as “The Good Dinosaur,” but it was still disappointing.

Monsters, Inc. — $223.3 Million

In 2001, Monsters, Inc. marked the fourth film produced by Pixar. Although Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were box office sensations, A Bug’s Life didn’t quite match their financial success. However, Monsters, Inc. demonstrated that Pixar could create blockbusters beyond its primary franchise, signifying the studio’s growth and versatility.

In its initial three days, Monsters, Inc. made approximately $111.6 million in adjusted earnings. More than a decade later, the prequel Monsters University (2013) garnered $111.7 million in adjusted revenue upon release. While it didn’t have the same lasting success as the original (it made 3.3 times its opening weekend compared to the original’s 4.6), it was nevertheless profitable.

Toy Story — $231.9 Million

During its initial five-day run in 1995, Toy Story earned the equivalent of approximately $80.8 million in 2024. Contrary to expectations, Toy Story 2, originally planned as a direct-to-video release, adopted a unique debut strategy. Instead of being shown in multiple theaters, it premiered in only one theater for its first five days.

Initially, the second installment of Toy Story hit theaters for a five-day launch, spanning from Wednesday, November 24th to Sunday, November 28th in 1999. During this period, it grossed an impressive $80.1 million, equivalent to approximately $151.8 million in today’s dollars. Much like the original, Toy Story 2 proved to be a box office success, making Disney ecstatic that they decided against releasing it straight to video. For those interested, Toy Story 3 opened to $110.3 million over three days in 2010 (equivalent to $159.7 million today), while Toy Story 4 generated $120.9 million in 2019 ($149.3 million today). In essence, the sequels of Toy Story have demonstrated a remarkable consistency in keeping their audience engaged over the years.

Inside Out — $274.6 Million

In 2015, the initial release of “Inside Out” earned approximately $120.4 million over a three-day period when accounting for inflation. While this was a decent start, the movie needed an additional $175 million (without adjustment) to turn a profit. Luckily, the film proved to be quite popular and its total gross was nearly four times its opening weekend earnings.

Despite taking almost a decade, the sequel finally graced the big screen and for both Disney and fans, the wait proved to be worthwhile. The second installment of “Inside Out,” raked in $154.2 million during its opening weekend, which was impressive. However, what truly surpassed expectations was that it managed to more than quadruple this amount domestically.

Frozen — $288.1 Million

Initially, the original Frozen shared similarities with Toy Story 2 as both films initially showed only in one theater for their first five days before going nationwide on November 27th. Over those first ten days, the movie made a total of $93.9 million, with $342,839 earned from its initial single-screen showing. Adjusted for inflation, that amount equals approximately $127.2 million today.

The initial outcome was indeed striking, however “Frozen” didn’t rely heavily on its early release. The film largely profited from positive word-of-mouth throughout subsequent weekends. Contrastingly, “Frozen II” in 2019 showed a bit more frontloading, but not as much as anticipated. The sequel opened with a whopping $160.9 million (in 2024 dollars) during its first three days, and eventually made about three and a half times that amount domestically. This is lower than the original’s multiplier of 4.3, but a decrease in multiplier is typical for movies with bigger opening weekends. In simpler terms, it’s not surprising that a third installment of “Frozen” is tentatively set for release in 2027.

Finding Nemo — $298.2 Million

Initially, the animated film “Finding Nemo” earned approximately $70.3 million in its first three days back in its release year. Translated to 2024, that’s equivalent to around $120.6 million. Although this may not seem like a large amount initially, the movie had an impressive staying power, eventually grossing nearly five times its opening earnings. In other words, if released today, it could have potentially made about $582.8 million in domestic box office sales.

13 years after its initial release, “Finding Dory” made an impressive comeback with an opening weekend of $177.6 million, surpassing its original total. However, it didn’t quite maintain the longevity of its predecessor in terms of box office success. Nevertheless, it was still one of the most successful films of 2016. In the end, “Dory” earned a staggering 3.6 times its initial three-day earnings. With Ellen DeGeneres stepping away from the entertainment industry, it seems unlikely that there will be another main film in the franchise featuring Dory. Given her strong connection to the character, it might be challenging to recast her role effectively. Instead, a spin-off focusing on one of the supporting characters from either film, such as the animals at Monterey Bay Aquarium, could potentially be successful.

Moana — $329 Million

In its initial five-day release in November 2016, Moana earned a substantial but not record-breaking $82 million (equivalent to about $108 million today after adjusting for inflation). The upcoming Moana sequel has significantly surpassed this amount, earning an impressive $221 million over its first five days. This means the sequel has more than doubled the gross of the original Moana. Incredibles 2 came close to achieving a similar feat, but we’ll delve deeper into that in the next section. However, it’s important to note that theaters have been experiencing continuous declines since Incredibles 2 was released in 2018. The success of Moana 2 is promising for its future earnings, as it has already broken records for Walt Disney Animation’s films in terms of preview and first-day grosses. Additionally, it holds the record for both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday box office earnings for any film ever.

In summary, despite facing strong competition from movies like “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Doctor Strange,” “Wicked,” and “Gladiator II,” the sequel of “Moana” managed to outperform them all, making 2024’s Thanksgiving weekend the highest grossing in history. This feat is even more impressive considering the tough competition, and if it maintains its success like its predecessor did, it is expected to earn approximately $650 million from domestic screens by the end of its run.

In the first film’s fourth weekend, it faced off against “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” but the second movie’s competition will be less challenging. “Kraven the Hunter” is set to debut on December 13th (during the third weekend of “Moana 2”), while “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Mufasa: The Lion King” open on December 20th. However, even if “Mufasa: The Lion King” performs exceptionally well, it won’t be comparable to “Rogue One,” as box office analysts predict that “Mufasa” will only earn about half of what the 2019 version of “The Lion King” made. Although “Moana” may have come in second place on this list, there’s no question that “Moana 2” is still number one.

The Incredibles — $347.5 Million

In simple terms, The Incredibles demonstrated that a superhero franchise didn’t need to be well-established to achieve success from the get-go. Back in 2004, the initial release of The Incredibles earned approximately $117.8 million over its first three days, which is equivalent to around that amount today. More impressively, it maintained a multiplier of 3.7 times its opening figure throughout its run.

14 years after its initial release, “Incredibles 2” made an astounding $182.7 million within its first three days. Adjusted for inflation to 2024, this equates to approximately $229.7 million. Compared to the first film’s opening weekend multiplier of 3.7, “Incredibles 2” generated 3.3 times as much. Despite this slightly lower multiplier, it was still an enormous success. The upcoming release of “Incredibles 3”, confirmed in August 2024 at the D23 Expo, will likely continue this trend. Even if it matches or even falls short of “Incredibles 2″‘s earnings, it would still be considered a huge triumph.

Moana 2 is in theaters now.

2024-12-02 05:10