Disney just broke some more box office records — signaling a blockbuster comeback that could fuel the company’s revival and its stock price. The news Disney’s animated sequel “Moana 2” became the highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend release of all time — raking in $225 million domestically from Wednesday to Sunday. That beat the $125 million Disney’s “Frozen 2” made during its Thanksgiving weekend opening in 2019. This long weekend’s debut of “Moana 2” and Universal’s “Wicked” and Paramount ‘s “Gladiator II,” which were both out on Nov. 22, sold a total of $420 million in tickets. Comcast owns NBCUniversal and CNBC. Disney is currently working on a live-action Moana movie, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprising his role as demigod Maui from the animated films. Johnson confirmed in recent media interviews a 2026 release date. Big picture The success of “Moana 2,” and the promise of “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Disney’s Christmas tentpole, will cap a strong 2024 for Disney at the box office. Summer blockbusters “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” — released in June and July, respectively — are still the biggest movies of the year. They were both cited in Disney’s strong fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report, which was released last month. Since opening, “Inside Out 2” has made nearly $1.7 billion worldwide and $653 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo . Globally, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has made more than $1.3 billion and $637 million domestically. Looking ahead, Disney’s 2025 slate features “Captain America: Brave New World,” a live-action musical of “Snow White” and a live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” among others. In 2026, highly anticipated titles include movies from the cinematic universes of “Star Wars” and “The Avengers” as well as the aforementioned live-action “Moana” and “Toy Story 5.” Bottom line Movie performance matters to Disney’s long-term growth and stock performance because success at the box office will, in turn, fuel revenue across streaming, theme parks, and merchandise. When hit movies come to streaming on Disney+, they attract new subscribers and reduce churn. Theme parks also thrive on blockbuster excitement since popular characters drive attendance. After its box office struggles in recent years, Disney’s current and upcoming slate indicates a turnaround is afoot. Management is confident these films will bolster earnings and strengthen the brand. Disney CEO Bob Iger is laser-focused on restoring the magic of Disney’s movies, Jim Cramer said Monday. Iger is “personally involved trying to make these movies get the luster back,” Jim said during the Investing Club’s Morning Meeting. Jim called the stock a “great bargain” at current levels of around $117 per share, despite rallying from a 52-week low in August of around $84. Disney’s 52-week high was just under $124 back in March. DIS 5Y mountain Disney 5-year performance We see good things ahead for Disney next year, including its strong movie content lineup and ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming coming in the fall of 2025 — plus, multiple expansion projects are in the works at Disney’s theme parks and on cruise ships. That’s why we have our buy-equivalent 1 rating on the stock and a $130 price target. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long DIS. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Auliʻi Cravalho voices Moana in Disney Animation’s “Moana 2.”
Disney
Disney just broke some more box office records — signaling a blockbuster comeback that could fuel the company’s revival and its stock price.
