'Moana 2' surfs to 3rd weekend lead in N.America theaters / Photo: BENJAMIN CREMEL - AFP
-
Prime minister hopeful Tarique Rahman arrives in Bangladesh
-
'Starting anew': Indonesians in disaster-struck Sumatra hold Christmas mass
-
Cambodian PM's wife attends funerals of soldiers killed in Thai border clashes
-
Prime minister hopeful Tarique Rahman arrives in Bangladesh: party
-
Pacific archipelago Palau agrees to take migrants from US
-
Pope Leo expected to call for peace during first Christmas blessing
-
Australia opts for all-pace attack in fourth Ashes Test
-
'We hold onto one another and keep fighting,' says wife of jailed Istanbul mayor
-
North Korea's Kim visits nuclear subs as Putin hails 'invincible' bond
-
Trump takes Christmas Eve shot at 'radical left scum'
-
Leo XIV celebrates first Christmas as pope
-
Diallo and Mahrez strike at AFCON as Ivory Coast, Algeria win
-
'At your service!' Nasry Asfura becomes Honduran president-elect
-
Trump-backed Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras presidency
-
Diallo strikes to give AFCON holders Ivory Coast winning start
-
Dow, S&P 500 end at records amid talk of Santa rally
-
Spurs captain Romero facing increased ban after Liverpool red card
-
Bolivian miners protest elimination of fuel subsidies
-
A lack of respect? African football bows to pressure with AFCON change
-
Trump says comedian Colbert should be 'put to sleep'
-
Mahrez leads Algeria to AFCON cruise against Sudan
-
Southern California braces for devastating Christmas storm
-
Amorim wants Man Utd players to cover 'irreplaceable' Fernandes
-
First Bond game in a decade hit by two-month delay
-
Brazil's imprisoned Bolsonaro hospitalized ahead of surgery
-
Serbia court drops case against ex-minister over train station disaster
-
Investors watching for Santa rally in thin pre-Christmas trade
-
David Sacks: Trump's AI power broker
-
Delap and Estevao in line for Chelsea return against Aston Villa
-
Why metal prices are soaring to record highs
-
Stocks tepid in thin pre-Christmas trade
-
UN experts slam US blockade on Venezuela
-
Bethlehem celebrates first festive Christmas since Gaza war
-
Set-piece weakness costing Liverpool dear, says Slot
-
Two police killed in explosion in Moscow
-
EU 'strongly condemns' US sanctions against five Europeans
-
Arsenal's Kepa Arrizabalaga eager for more League Cup heroics against Che;sea
-
Thailand-Cambodia border talks proceed after venue row
-
Kosovo, Serbia 'need to normalise' relations: Kosovo PM to AFP
-
Newcastle boss Howe takes no comfort from recent Man Utd record
-
Frank warns squad to be 'grown-up' as Spurs players get Christmas Day off
-
Rome pushes Meta to allow other AIs on WhatsApp
-
Black box recovered from Libyan general's crashed plane
-
Festive lights, security tight for Christmas in Damascus
-
Zelensky reveals US-Ukraine plan to end Russian war, key questions remain
-
El Salvador defends mega-prison key to Trump deportations
-
US says China chip policies unfair but will delay tariffs to 2027
-
Stranger Things set for final bow: five things to know
-
Grief, trauma weigh on survivors of catastrophic Hong Kong fire
-
Asian markets mixed after US growth data fuels Wall St record
NYSE - LSE
'Moana 2' surfs to 3rd weekend lead in N.America theaters
"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, according to industry estimates.
That was roughly half of last weekend's $52 million but still helped push the 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 demigod 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 theaters, 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.
Fourth place went to Paramount's "Gladiator II," at $7.8 million. Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen star in Ridley Scott's sequel to his Best Picture Oscar-winning original.
And in fifth was Warner Bros.' anime fantasy "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim," at $4.6 million. Set long before the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, it tells the story of King Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Brian Cox, and his family as they fight an army of invaders.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Red One" ($4.3 million)
"Interstellar: Tenth Anniversary" ($3.3 million)
"Daft Punk: Interstella" ($2 million)
"Pushpa: The Rule - Part 2" ($1.6 million)
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" ($1.4 million)
T.Sanchez--AT
