Moana Wins Friday With $21.8 Million Box Office

Moana continues its march toward the Thanksgiving weekend box office crown with a successful second day at theaters.

The Disney animated film brought in $21.8 million on Friday and is on pace for over $80 million for the full holiday weekend (via THR). It's outpacing the equally successful Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them in its second week in theaters, which brought in $18.6 million on Friday. It will likely come in second.

As for the other films opening, the picture wasn't as bright. Warren Beatty's Rules Don't Apply brought in $600,000, and will likely total a bit over $2 million for the weekend. Brad Pitt's Allied is also suffering a bit with a $4.9 box office take in on Friday and is looking to hit the $18 million mark for the weekend. Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa 2 only took in 2.3 million on Friday and is trying to hit around $10 million for the weekend. Also of note is Doctor Strange, which pulled in another $5.4 million.

Moana is being received with open arms by both critics and general audiences, but it most likely won't beat out Disney's Frozen for the Thanksgiving weekend crown, as Frozen brought in $93.6 million when it debuted. Still, it's an impressive opening, and it should have long legs throughout the rest of the holiday season.

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes "Moana," a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she's always sought: her own identity.

The film stars Dwayne Johnson (HBO's "Ballers," "Central Intelligence") as the demigod Maui and newcomer Auli'i Cravalho voices the title character, Moana. The cast also includes Jemaine Clement ("What We Do in the Shadows," Flight of the Conchords) as Tamatoa, Rachel House ("Whale Rider," "Hunt for the Wilderpeople") as Gramma Tala, Temuera Morrison ("Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones," "Six Days, Seven Nights") as Moana's father, Chief Tui. Nicole Sherzinger (Grammy®-nominated singer, West End's "Cats") as Moana's mother,Sina, and Alan Tudyk ("Zootopia," "Wreck-It Ralph") as Heihei.

More Moana: Moana Tops Box Office, Expected To Pull Doctor Strange-Like Numbers / REVIEW: Moana - A Magical Addition To Disney's Collection / The Rock Provides His Take On Classic Disney Characters / New Moana Clip Features Gramma Tala

Moana hits theaters on November 23, 2016.