Thanksgiving is one of Hollywood’s most strategic release windows of the year, second only to Christmas and the summer season. Animated movies, Disney releases, and other family movies thrive during this extended weekend. A considerable debut helps the film in the long run, giving a huge boost to its lifetime collection. However, that might not always happen. Moana 2 recorded the biggest opening weekend ever for a Hollywood film released around Thanksgiving, yet it is not the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release. Keep scrolling for the deets.
This year, Zootopia 2 has been released on Thanksgiving, and it is expected to record one of the biggest opening weekends domestically and globally. However, as per the projections, it will not top the Moana sequel’s opening weekend collection at the domestic box office.
Check out the top 5 highest-grossing films released on Thanksgiving
5. Tangled (2010)
Worldwide collection – $591.8 million
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Tangled, released in 2010, is not even among the top biggest opening weekends among Thanksgiving releases. Despite that, it is one of the highest-grossing Thanksgiving releases worldwide. It collected $591.8 million at the worldwide box office.
The Disney animation released in 2016 is in the 4th rank on this list of the highest-grossing Thanksgiving releases. Its enormous success helped the sequel collect more than $1 billion worldwide. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho in the key roles. According to reports, Moana was the most-streamed film in the United States from 2020 to 2024, leading The Wall Street Journal to describe it as “the No.1 movie in streaming history.
3. Coco (2017)
Worldwide collection – $823.2 million
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Coco collected $72.9 million at the domestic box office on its five-day extended opening weekend, which is less than Toy Story 2’s $80.1 million. Eventually, the animated musical film grossed $823.2 million worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing Thanksgiving release.
2. Moana 2 (2024)
Worldwide collection – $1.05 billion
The second film in the Moana franchise holds the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend among Thanksgiving releases. For the unversed, it collected $225.4 million on its five-day opening weekend and $139.7 million during the three-day debut weekend. Despite the biggest Thanksgiving debut, it is not the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release.
1. Frozen (2013)
Worldwide collection – $1.28 billion
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It changed Disney’s animated movie game forever, and some critics reportedly call it Disney’s best animated film since the studio’s Renaissance era. Moana 2 took away the film’s crown as the biggest opening weekend among Thanksgiving films, but could not beat its worldwide collection. Frozen is the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release.
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More about Zootopia 2’s opening weekend projection
According to media reports, Zootopia 2 is expected to open with huge collections at the domestic and global box office, but it may not be able to surpass Moana 2’s domestic opening. The Zootopia sequel is tracking to earn between $155-$165 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend, which is way below Moana 2’s collection. Zootopia 2 was released on November 26.
