Biggest Box Offices for A Disney Animated Film & Sequel, Ranked (Including Moana 2)

Moana 2 is officially a record-breaker. If weekend estimates hold, it will have grossed at least $215 million domestically throughout its first five days. Disney must be over the moon, as their decision to rework a long-form series for Disney+ (which was a choice made public only 10 months ago) into a theatrical film has paid off in spades. This also bodes well for 2026’s live-action adaptation of the first film. So, how do the opening grosses for Moana and its sequel compare to other hit Disney animated film franchises? Let’s take a look.

Note that only opening weekends were counted, whether they were three-day debuts or, as is the case with Moana 2, five-day debuts. Furthermore, only the first and second films were subject to inclusion, even if the second film was a prequel. That means Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and Cars 3 didn’t factor in. However, inflation did factor in. And, considering The Rescuers came out too long ago to ascertain a correct opening weekend figure, it and The Rescuers Down Under were omitted. That said, Down Under debuted to just $3.5 million, so it would be safe to assume the mouse-led duology would land in last place.

Wreck-It Ralph — $174 Million

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ inventive Wreck-It Ralph rode the wave of ’80s video game nostalgia to the tune of $49 million in three days. That equates to $67.4 million today. Not Pixar numbers, but respectable.

In 2018, Ralph Breaks the Internet earned $84.8 million over the course of its five-day debut. That’s $106.6 million in 2024 bucks, $70.6 million of which was earned over the course of the Friday through Sunday window. In other words, while it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison given the different release strategies, the sequel seemed to confirm that the original film’s opening was closer to the IP’s ceiling than the floor.

Cars — $186.9 Million

The first Cars made an adjusted $94.1 million over its three-day debut. It wasn’t quite what was generated by the previous Pixar movie, The Incredibles, but it was better than the subsequent Ratatouille. Then again, the Cars IP was always just as much about selling toys as it was box office receipts, if not more so.

The same goes for 2011’s Cars 2, which had an adjusted three-day debut of $92.8 million. That’s less than the first movie, but much better than the adjusted $69.2 million opening of 2017’s Cars 3. Even given the toy factor, that third film’s gross was a disappointment. Not a Good Dinosaur-sized disappointment, but a disappointment.

Monsters, Inc. — $223.3 Million

Monsters, Inc. was just the fourth film to come from Pixar. And, while both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were money-printers, A Bug’s Life wasn’t quite the financial winner Woody and Buzz’s two adventures were. Fortunately, Monsters proved that the budding studio was capable of producing major hits outside its flagship franchise.

Specifically, Monsters, Inc. netted $111.6 million in adjusted dollars throughout its first three days. Over a decade after that movie, prequel Monsters University (2013) hit theaters to the tune of $111.7 million in adjusted bucks. It didn’t end up having the same legs as the original (3.3 times its opening weekend against the original’s 4.6) but it was still a moneymaker.

Toy Story — $231.9 Million

Over the course of its five-day opening, 1995’s Toy Story netted what equates to $80.8 million in 2024. Toy Story 2 (which was initially supposed to be a direct-to-video release) had a slightly different debut strategy. Its first five days had it playing in just a single theater.

The sequel then moved into wide release for a five-day debut, from Wednesday, November 24th to Sunday, November 28th. Those five days generated $80.1 million, or $151.8 million today. Like the original, Toy Story 2 continued to perform well, making Disney very happy they didn’t go for that straight-to-home-video strategy. For those curious, Toy Story 3 opened to $110.3 million over three days in 2010 (which equates to $159.7 million today), while Toy Story 4 generated $120.9 million in 2019 ($149.3 million today). In other words, the Toy Story sequels have displayed a remarkably steady ability to retain their audience.

Inside Out — $274.6 Million

The first Inside Out opened to $120.4 million (adjusted for inflation) over the course of three days back in 2015. It was a respectable result, but the $175 million (unadjusted) movie needed more to become profitable. Fortunately, it had legs; the film’s total gross was nearly four times its opening weekend haul.

Yet, it still took nearly a decade for the sequel to hit the big screen. But, for Disney and for fans, the wait was worth it. Inside Out 2 netted $154.2 million throughout its first three days. That was a great opening, but the fact it more than quadrupled that figure domestically was even better.

Frozen — $288.1 Million

The original Frozen was like Toy Story 2 in that its first few days (five, to be exact) had it playing in a single theater before expanding to wide release on Wednesday, November 27th. So, throughout those first 10 days, the film had generated $93.9 million ($342,839 of which came from its play on that aforementioned single screen). $93.9 million in 2013 equates to $127.2 million now.

It was an impressive result, but Frozen was far from frontloaded. The benefactor of positive word-of-mouth, the majority of its money was made over the course of subsequent weekends. 2019’s Frozen II was a bit more frontloaded, but not as much as it could have been. The sequel had a three-day opening of $160.9 million in 2024 dollars, and it ended its domestic haul with 3.7 times that amount. That’s lower than the first film’s 4.3 multiple, but a drop in multiple is to be expected with a higher opening. In other words, it’s not surprising there’s a third installment tentatively scheduled for a 2027 release.

Finding Nemo — $298.2 Million

Over the course of its first three days, Finding Nemo made $70.3 million, or $120.6 million in 2024. While that’s not a massive figure, Nemo had amazing legs, ultimately earning nearly five times its debut. In other words, a domestic total of about $582.8 million were it released today.

Premiering 13 years later, Finding Dory debuted to an even better adjusted total of $177.6 million. And, while it didn’t have quite the legs of its predecessor, it was still one of 2016’s biggest hits. Ultimately, Dory generated 3.6 times its three-day opening weekend figure. It’s unlikely there will be another theatrical film in the franchise (at least not one fronted by Dory) given Ellen DeGeneres has retired from the entertainment industry. She’s too inextricably linked to the character for it to be successfully recast. But what about a spin-off about one of the two films’ side-characters, like the sequel’s animals at Monterey Bay Aquarium? That could work.

Moana — $329 Million

Throughout its five-day debut back in November 2016, Moana grossed an impressive but not exactly groundbreaking $82 million. Adjust that for inflation and it’s just under $108 million. In other words, Moana 2 has more than doubled the gross of its predecessor. Did Incredibles 2 do the same? Just about, and more on that in a minute, but that was back in 2018, before theaters started to experience month after month, year after year declines. Moana 2 posted a five-day opening of $221 million. Things are looking bright for the sequel in the long run, too. It’s already shattered the records for Walt Disney Animation’s films when it comes to preview and first day grosses. Better yet, it’s officially made the most money on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday for any movie ever.

All in all, it led the charge to make 2024’s Thanksgiving weekend the highest grossing in history. “Led the charge” is important there because, just as the first film faced some tough competition in the form of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Doctor Strange, the sequel faces even tougher competition from blockbuster smash Wicked and the successful Gladiator II. That makes Moana 2‘s dominance all the more jaw-dropping, and should it enjoy the longevity experienced by its predecessor (which is very likely), it will have netted about $650 million from domestic screens when all is said and done.

The first film’s fourth weekend had it go against Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but the sequel’s competition will be less formidable. Kraven the Hunter opens December 13th (Moana 2‘s third weekend) while Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King open on December 20th. But, even if the latter opens above expectations, it won’t be an event like Rogue One, considering box office prognosticators figure Mufasa will open to at most less than half of what 2019’s The Lion King grossed. Moana may have scored second place on this list, but there’s no doubt Moana 2 is No. 1.

[RELATED: Disney Head Explains Why Animated Moana Fans Should Be Excited for a Live-Action Movie]

The Incredibles — $347.5 Million

The Incredibles proved that a superhero property didn’t have to be an established one to soar right out the gate. Back in 2004, the first Incredibles garnered what would equate to $117.8 million today over the course of its first three days. Better yet, it enjoyed a 3.7 multiple of that opening figure.

Fourteen years later, Incredibles 2 opened to a gargantuan $182.7 million in its first three days. That translates to $229.7 million in 2024. And, while it generated 3.3 times its opening weekend as opposed to the first film’s 3.7, it was nonetheless a much bigger hit. It will be interesting to see if Incredibles 3 (confirmed in August 2024 at the D23 Expo) can continue the upward trajectory. Even if it holds steady with Incredibles 2 or perhaps come in a bit lower, it would still be a massive success.

Moana 2 is in theaters now.