The Thanksgiving box office for 'Moana 2' could set a new record in the post-pandemic era.

• Disney's "Moana 2" is set to release in theaters on Wednesday and is expected to earn between $120 million and $150 million in box office revenue in the U.S. and Canada by Sunday.
• "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" are currently in their second week of domestic screenings.
• Cinematic history could be set during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, with box office analysts predicting ticket sales to easily surpass $200 million and potentially become the second or third-highest Thanksgiving period in cinematic history.

The Thanksgiving box office is expected to have its largest revenue since the pandemic due to the success of a Polynesian princess, a pair of witches, and a revenge-driven gladiator.

On Wednesday, "Moana 2" will be released in theaters and is expected to earn between $120 million and $150 million in box office receipts in the U.S. and Canada by Sunday. Additionally, "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" will also be shown in theaters, both in their second week of domestic screenings.

Cinematic history could be set during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, with box office analysts predicting ticket sales to easily surpass $200 million and potentially become the second- or third-highest Thanksgiving period in cinematic history.

"According to Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, the combination of "Moana 2," "Wicked," and "Gladiator II" is a perfect storm for movie theaters this Thanksgiving. While major releases have struggled to replicate the all-audience appeal of the holiday in the post-pandemic era, this year's trifecta of tentpole releases could anchor some of the biggest all-around box office results the holiday frame has ever seen."

Since 2019, the Thanksgiving holiday haul has not exceeded $200 million, according to Comscore data. The highest-grossing Thanksgiving weekend in history was in 2018, with "Ralph Breaks the Internet," "Creed II," and "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" generating a combined $315 million in ticket sales. The second-highest Thanksgiving weekend haul was the $294.2 million secured during the same five-day period in 2013.

"According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, Thanksgiving is considered the most crucial holiday period for movie theaters, as it sets the tone for the year-end box office race. The success of the final weeks of the year will ultimately decide the total annual box office revenue and its perception as a victory or defeat for the industry."

And, Disney could use another animation win.

Despite being the dominant force in the Thanksgiving box office for years with Pixar and Disney Animation titles, its recent releases have fallen short of expectations.

In 2016, "Moana" generated $82.1 million during its Thanksgiving holiday opening. In 2017, "Coco" took in $72.9 million during its debut over the Thanksgiving holiday. In 2018, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" tallied $84.8 million during its opening over the five-day period. Just before the pandemic in 2019, "Frozen II" added $125 million over the Thanksgiving holiday after opening the week before to over $130 million.

No Disney animated film was released over Thanksgiving in 2020, while "Encanto" managed to earn $40.6 million in 2021, "Strange World" failed to meet expectations with $18.9 million in 2022, and "Wish" only made $31.6 million in 2023.

Despite being released a year after the first film was the top-streamed film aimed at kids and families, "Moana 2" should outperform these post-pandemic releases. In contrast, audiences came out in droves for Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2" over the summer, which opened to $154.2 million domestically and tallied more than $1 billion globally during its full run.

NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, distributed the film 'Wicked.'