LOS ANGELES: "Moana 2", the sequel to the animated Disney musical about a spirited Polynesian teenager who embarks on seafaring adventures, has topped the North American box office for a second week, according to industry estimates.
In the new installment of the Pixar hit, the title character, voiced by Auli'i Cravalho, teams up with an unlikely crew and travels the far seas of Oceania to break the curse of an evil god who sank a mystical island.
She gets help from a once-mighty demigod called Maui, who is voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
The film took in US$52 million (RM230 million) over the weekend, a downturn from its debut over the long Thanksgiving holiday when it brought in a whopping US$225 million mega haul, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.
Universal's "Wicked: Part I", the latest offshoot of the classic "Wizard of Oz", raked in US$35 million in its third weekend in theaters.
In third place the other hotly awaited holiday season release, Paramount's "Gladiator II", earned US$12.5 million.
Remaining in fourth place for a second week in a row was the Christmas comedy "Red One" from Amazon and MGM, earning US$7.0 million in revenue.
The film features Johnson as a North Pole security officer trying to find a kidnapped Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) on Christmas Eve.
In fifth place was Indian action flick "Pushpa 2 - The Rule," chalking up US$5.0 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were: "Interstellar: 10th Anniversary" (US$4.4 million), "Solo leveling - ReAwakening" (US$2.4 million), "Y2K" (US$2.1 million), "For KING + COUNTRY's A Drummer Boy Christmas LIVE" (US$2.1 million), "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (US$1.5 million). - AFP