Disney was the undisputed ruler at the box office for a while. In 2019 alone, Disney generated more than $10 billion in worldwide revenuewas the first studio to do so. Then 2020 came and upended the movie business in a big, bad way. The pandemic closed theaters for months, and recovery was slower than expected. However, thanks to the massive success of “Moana 2,” Disney has now accomplished something no other studio has accomplished since 2019, as three of its 2024 films have crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide.
With a surprisingly strong weekend in the books, “Moana 2” has now earned $1.01 billion worldwide. “Jurassic Reigns” ($1 billion) as the eighth biggest film of the pandemic era. More importantly, it now joins 2024 Disney releases Inside Out 2 ($1.69 billion) and Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.33 billion) as members of the $1 billion club. Despicable Me 4 ($969.1 million) came very close, but no other studio made it past the milestone last year.
Here are some key takeaways. First, after 2020, Avatar: The Last Airbender ($2.3 billion) and Top Gun: Maverick ($1.49 billion) join Dominion as the only other year to have three $1 billion movies in theaters. thanks to the year 2022. In this case, three different studios shared the fortune. But in 2024, Disney ruled the market with three high-profile sequels. case We're talking about Moana 2, a movie that was originally supposed to be a Disney+ series.
That Disney chose to send “Moana 2” to theaters instead was A) a great decision and B) a turning point in the ongoing streaming wars. Investing so much money in A-list, direct-to-air content may be a thing of the past. In doing so, Disney was able to both reclaim its seat on the throne and give the industry a much-needed boost after a rough start to the year brought on by the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes.
Disney is the king of the box office again
All told, Disney earned $5.46 billion globally in 2024, the highest amount ever posted by any studio. Of course, that's still a far cry from the $10 billion it appears to be In 2019, Avengers: Endgame grossed $2.8 billion, briefly becoming the biggest film of all time. A total of nine films crossed the $1 billion mark that year, including Aladdin ($1 billion), Toy Story 4 ($1.073 billion), Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker ($1.074 billion), Joker” ($1.078 billion), “Captain Marvel” ($1.12 billion), “Spider-Man: Far From Home” ($1.13 billion), “Frozen II” ($1.45 billion) and “The Lion King” ($1.65 billion), seven coming directly from Disney.
On the one hand, it shows how far the coffers still have to go before they reach pre-pandemic levels. On the other hand, Disney has shown that with the right movies, people will still happily leave the house and go to the theater. “Inside Out 2” in particular was the biggest animated film of all time and helped prove that Pixar's name still meant something. The jury's still out on whether originals like “Elio” from the studio can deliver the goods, but it's still nice to see.
To that end, it's easy to see the merits of sequels like “Deadpool & Wolverine” as glass half empty. The biggest original film of 2024 was “IF” ($190 million), and its budget kept it from being a complete success. Again, everything is relative. If the success of these sequels can allow movies like Long Legs or Anora to exist, taking the pressure off and helping theaters keep the lights on, so be it.
Either way, Disney is demonstrating its ability to be a clear force on the pop culture landscape. With a slate that includes Captain America: Brave New World, Lilo and Stitch, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ashes, don't be surprised to see the House of Mouse again in 2025.
“Moana 2” is now in theaters.
