DIS Walt Disney Co

Walt Disney Co.'s "Moana" sailed to a hit $81.1 million at the box office over the five-day holiday weekend.

The estimated gross is the second-best five-day Thanksgiving opening of all time, behind Disney's own "Frozen," which opened to $93.6 million in 2013. Disney has come to dominate the Thanksgiving release window; "Moana" now means Disney has the top six five-day debuts for the holiday of all time.

Featuring the voices of Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and songs by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Moana" introduces a new Disney heroine, a Polynesian girl who must set sail on a dangerous mission to save her community.

Thanksgiving week helps draw in multiple generations of moviegoers, said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president of distribution. "It gives us that big burst," he said. "Frozen" became its own juggernaut in 2013, coasting on strong weekends for months to a domestic haul of $400 million.

For "Moana," the studio is counting on strong interest continuing through the Christmas season, aided by adult moviegoers drawn in by Messrs. Johnson and Miranda, said Mr. Hollis.

On Friday, the North American box office passed the $10 billion mark in record time, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners. Last year's movies passed it on Dec. 18, before "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" drove the annual results to record-setting grosses.

It was a range of feast or famine for the rest of the Thanksgiving box office.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the Harry Potter spinoff that premiered in first place last week, slipped to No. 2 with a healthy $65.8 million over the five days. The movie, from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., has collected a total of $156.2 million in North America and made its debut in China with $41.1 million. Its world-wide total stands at $317.5 million.

"Allied," starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as World War II spies and lovers, grossed an underwhelming $18 million over the five days. "It was OK, and you hope to do better than OK on a holiday weekend," said Megan Colligan, president of world-wide distribution and marketing at Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, which released the movie.

"Allied" drew an older audience, who typically don't rush out to see a movie on opening weekend. That could help it draw in moviegoers in the coming weeks. "Allied" is leaning on the star power of its cast, but those marketing efforts were hampered by Mr. Pitt's headline-grabbing divorce from Angelina Jolie, which prevented as much publicity for the film as usual.

"Bad Santa 2," starring Billy Bob Thornton as a debauched Kriss Kringle, went straight to moviegoers' naughty list. It was distributed by Broad Green Pictures and collected a measly $9 million.

That was still better than "Rules Don't Apply," director Warren Beatty's passion project about 1958 Hollywood. It collected only $2.2 million over the five days, ranking among the worst wide-release openings this year. The movie was released by Twentieth Century Fox. (21st Century Fox, which owns the Fox studio, and News Corp., owner of The Wall Street Journal, share common ownership.)

Of all the new releases, audiences like "Moana" best. It received an "A" grade from audiences, according to the CinemaScore market research firm. "Allied" received a "B," "Rules Don't Apply got a "B-" and "Bad Santa 2" a "C+."

Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 27, 2016 19:55 ET (00:55 GMT)

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