Moana 2is approaching a major box office milestone that is unusually rare for Dwayne Johnson. The new movie is the sequel to Disney’s 2016 hit. Although it was originally developed as a Disney+ series, the project - which was directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller from a screenplay by Miller and Jared Bush - was converted into a theatrical feature, which debuted the day before U.S. Thanksgiving in 2024, taking in a traditional 3-day opening weekend of $139.8 million and maintaining a position at No. 1 on the domestic box office chart for three consecutive weekends.
TheMoana 2castincludes quite a few returning stars. In addition toJohnson reprising the role of the demigod Maui, the movie also features Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, Temuera Morrison as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Rachel House as Tala, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei. The movie also includes new characters portrayed by Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser, and Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda. The movie’s box office success is a remarkable achievement for all of them, but it is even more remarkable given Johnson’s cinematic track record.
Moana 2 Ending Explained: What Happens To Moana & How It Sets Up Moana 3
Moana 2’s ending sets the stage for the franchise to grow even more expansive and gives the titular Wayfinder an unexpected new direction.
Moana 2 Is Closing In On Becoming Dwayne Johnson’s Third Movie To Make $1 Billion At The Box Office
His Previous Billion-Dollar Movies Are Both From The Same Franchise
At the time of writing, theMoana 2releasehas already raked in a total of $905.7 million at the global box office. It is one of just four 2024 releases to pass the $900 million milestone, a roster which also includesDespicable Me 4($969.1 million),Deadpool & Wolverine($1.338 billion), andInside Out 2($1.699 billion). Additionally,the sequel is projected to cross the $1 billion mark at some point soon in early 2025, making it only the fourth billion-dollar Walt Disney Animated Studios release afterZootopia($1.025 billion),Frozen($1.306 billion), andFrozen II($1.454 billion).
The Pixar releaseInside Out 2, which premiered on July 08, 2025, broke records as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
What makes this impending major milestone particularly unusual is the fact that it will mark onlythe third Dwayne Johnson movie to ever pass the billion-dollar mark. His previous movies to do so both come from the same franchise, theFast & Furioussaga, which he joined in the 2011 installmentFast Five. He has so far reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in four additional sequels and the 2019 spinoffHobbs & Shaw. Two of these movies have grossed more than $1 billion, namely 2015’sFurious 7($1.515 billion) and 2017’sThe Fate of the Furious($1.236 billion).
Dwayne Johnson Only Being In Two $1 Billion Movies Before Moana 2 Is Surprising
The Star Is A Major Box Office Draw
Especially considering the fact that theMoana 2box officereaffirms Dwayne Johnson’s status as a box office draw, it is somewhat surprising that he has only had two previous movies pass the billion-dollar milestone. Over the course of his career, Johnson has appeared in dozens of movies, including multiple installments in successful theatrical franchises, which havecumulatively grossed $14.925 billion worldwide. However, despite many of these movies achieving phenomenal grosses, they rarely became billion-dollar titles. Below, see a breakdown of his five highest-grossing movies that have failed to make $1 billion, not includingMoana 2:
$961.6 million
$795.3 million
$789.3 million
$760.7 million
Fast X(2023)
$714.4 million
Jumanjiis Johnson’s highest-grossing franchise outside ofMoanaandFast & Furious, buthe has appeared in a wide variety of installments in other well-known franchisesincludingThe Mummy(The Mummy Returns,The Scorpion King), the DC Extended Universe (Black Adam),Journey to the Center of the Earth(Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), and more. While these have helped his cumulative gross reach nearly $15 billion, they have so far failed to push him past $1 billion further times, which makes sense considering that the milestone is an achievement that only 55 movies have so far accomplished throughout cinema history.
Moana 2’s Success Is A Good Sign That Dwayne Johnson Will Have Another $1 Billion Hit Soon
This Is Not His Last Time Playing Maui
The fact thatMoana 2is approaching the billion-dollar mark is good news for Johnson’s continued ability to thrive in theaters. The new movie’s success implies that good things lie ahead for the franchise. This includes the upcominglive-actionMoanaremake, which is set to debut on July 04, 2025, andfeatures Johnson reprising his role.
While Johnson will be returning as Maui, the live-actionMoanasees Catherine Lagaʻaia replacing Auli’i Cravalho in the title role.
It seems highly likely that Johnson’sMoana 2follow-up could earn $1 billion, because many of Disney’s live-action remakes of their most popular titles have passed that milestone, including 2017’sBeauty and the Beastand 2019’sAladdinandThe Lion King. WhileMoana 3has not yet been greenlit, the likelihood of another animated installment also seems strong, sothat could earn Johnson a third billion-dollar movie in the same franchise, beating hisFast & Furioustrack record.
Moana 2
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
