Capital Economy, Business and Finance
Moana 2 is on course to make more than $1 billion at the global box office after enjoying the highest ever opening weekend for an animated film. Counterintuitively this is thanks to streaming. Moana was only the 12th highest grossing film of 2016, but last year it was the most streamed title in the United States – paving the way for a sequel with worse reviews than its predecessor but a superior box office return. Attempts to perfect this formula will only lead to one thing: even fewer originals. After a year in which the global box office was dominated by Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Oppenheimer, the ten highest grossing movies of 2024 are all sequels.
