UK-Ireland box office preview: ‘Moana 2’ sails into 630 cinemas; ‘Conclave’ also opens

Moana 2 takes to the seas at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as the Disney sequel launches in 630 cinemas.

The sequel opens wider than the 533 venues of its predecessor back in 2016. That title debuted with a gentle £2.2m but had a solid run overall, surpassing £20m.

Moana 2 sees the eponymous islander, voiced by Auli‘i Cravalho, embark on a journey to find a mythical, lost island. Dwayne Johnson also returns to the voice cast while fresh additions include comedian Rose Matafeo and Hualalai Chung. 

It will have fierce competition from Wicked, fresh from having the UK’s biggest box office opening of the year last weekend with £13.7m, as well as Paddington In Peru which has the home advantage.

Disney’s last animated release was the hugely successful Inside Out 2 which opened with £11.3m back in June and is currently the territory’s highest-grossing title of 2024 with nearly £60m.

All aboard

Also out this weekend is Edward Berger’s Conclave in 457 locations via Black Bear. Ralph Fiennes stars in the Telluride premiere as a cardinal who is tasked with the ritual of selecting a fresh pope and finds himself unravelling several conspiracies. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini are also among the cast.

For its 20th anniversary Park Circus is screening a 4k restoration of The Polar Express in 357 cinemas. The festive animation stars Tom Hanks in several roles as the story follows a youthful boy who travels on a magical train to the North Pole.

Cannes award-winner All We Imagine As Light opens in 56 sites for BFI Distribution. Payal Kapadia’s debut feature surrounds three nurses in Mumbai navigating love, friendship and the trials of womanhood.

Conic Film is rolling out Bifa award-winner The Taste Of Mango in four locations. Chloe Abrams’s film, exploring the relationships with her mother and grandmother, won best debut at the Bifas last year.

Netflix has an awards-qualifying run for the Richard Curtis-penned animation That Christmas which sees Brian Cox lend his voice to a Santa who gets trapped in a British seaside town on Christmas Eve. Further voices include Bill Nighy, Fiona Shaw and Jodie Whittaker. The film had its world premiere at London Film Festival.

Also out this weekend is horror romcom Your Monster via Vertigo Releasing; Japanese reality star documentary The Contestant via MetFilm; Brazilian sports drama Power Alley via AX1 Entertainment; and Ghanian romance Two Of A Kind via Evrit Films Productions.

As previously mentioned, Wicked and Paddington In Peru are the key holdover titles, along with Gladiator II.