'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)