'Moana 2' surfs to third weekend lead in North American theatres

Moana 2, the Disney sequel about the seafaring adventures of a courageous young Polynesian girl, topped the North American box-office again in its third weekend out, taking in $26.6 million (Dh97 million), according to industry estimates.

That was roughly half of last weekend's $52 million but still helped push the US domestic take of the animated film to $337.5 million, along with $379 million internationally, for overall earnings surpassing $700 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.

Hawaiian-born Auli'i Cravalho reprises her voice acting role as the titular Moana, who joins up with an unlikely crew to travel the rugged seas of Oceania to break the curse of an evil god. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also returns to voice the hapless Maui.

Universal's film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, the first in a two-part series, raked in $22.5 million in its third weekend in theatres, as it surpassed the $500 million mark globally.

Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande both received Golden Globes nominations this week, giving the film an extra boost as it gains Oscar steam.

Meanwhile Kraven the Hunter placed a distant third, at $11 million, a "very weak opening for a new superhero film," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

The Spider-Man spinoff, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role, suffered from repeated pandemic- and strike-related production delays and cost overruns and has gotten tepid reviews.

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