‘Moana’ to Ride Big Box Office Wave With $75 Million-Plus

Disney’s animated movie starring The Rock will edge “Fantastic Beasts,” dominate fellow newcomers during the extended Thanksgiving weekend

Put Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a Disney animated feature and you give “Moana” two of the main ingredients for a Thanksgiving holiday hit.

Other wide releases opening on Thanksgiving eve are Paramount’s World War II romantic drama “Allied,” starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard; Fox drama “Rules Don’t Apply,” written and directed by Warren Beatty, who also stars as Howard Hughes; and Billy Bob Thornton in the comedy sequel “Bad Santa 2,” out of Broad Green Pictures and Miramax.

Back to Disney’s CG animation, it features the voice of newcomer Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, an adventurous teen who leaves her island, joined by demigod Maui (Johnson) on a quest to save her people.

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Opening in more than 3,800 theaters and made for more than $150 million, “Moana” currently enjoys a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes — a great sign that could help it sail to the high end of box office estimates.

[...] “Rules Don’t Apply,” also starring Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich in addition to Beatty, is opening in 2,400 theaters and is expected to earn about $9 million.