Black Friday typically is one of the highest-grossing box office days on the calendar, but this year it’s coursing to an all-time record with around $107M+ for all movies, led by Disney’s Moana 2.
Friday also has a shot at being the highest-grossing day of 2024 to date, outstripping the $118.3M on Friday, July 26, when Deadpool & Wolverine led with to an R-rated opening-day and -weekend record ($96.1M, $211.4M).
Disney
There’s such a frenzy for Moana 2, Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II tickets that AMC at one point time this morning was experiencing a 13-minute wait time. That’s a rich-man’s problem for the No. 1 exhibitor. The circuit has the situation under control, I’m told.
Per Comscore, Friday easily will exceed the previous Black Friday record of $85M, which was back in 2013 when Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was the No. 1 title over the Wednesday-Sunday Thanksgiving period.
Moana 2 is expected to do at least $55M, which would make it a Black Friday record for the No. 1-grossing film, above Frozen II‘s $34.1M back in 2019. Wicked is on course to do $27M Friday, while Paramount’s Gladiator II is eyeing at $12.6M. Moana 2 already is blowing away the Frozen II $125M 5-day record over Thanksgiving and could do $200M+. Wicked is looking at the fourth best take over the holiday frame with $105.6M while Gladiator II is looking at $45M.
As we first told you, Dwayne Johnson has accomplished a rare feat for a Hollywood leading star at the box office: With Moana 2 and Red One, he’s the first to have two No. 1 openings in the same month.