The holidays are near, which means Christmas movies are back in business. But for Home Alone, the usual path to the top is being blocked by a stubborn Disney Princess.
According to FlixPatrol, the classic Home Alone is at #3, and Home Alone 2 is at #6 on Disney Plus’ streaming charts. Enter their toughest contender: 2016’s Moana at #2. Parents with little ones at home and loyal subscribers are likely to be moved by this revelation. But if you didn’t know already, Moana is one of the most streamed movies of all time.
On this digital battlefield, the cyan waters of Moana have compelled over 80 billion viewing minutes. That’s “the equivalent of seeing the picture 748 million times,” explained Bloomberg. To put it into context, a 2016 family flick released before Disney Plus was even born swatted away competition like Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The secret ingredient in this successful cocktail is kids. Disney Plus has earned the reputation of a great babysitter. We’ve all heard of young children being planted in front of screens and left to repeatedly watch their favorite films. The result in this case is incredible streaming figures.
The success serves as a reminder that the young market is valuable — ask executives how much money Frozen‘s “Let it Go” song made them if you’re harboring doubt. As increasing numbers of families skip theaters to watch content available digitally, winning big in this arena pays dividends.
Moreover, Moana is beloved. It’s beautiful, inspiring, has memorable music, and benefits from quality voice acting. While it’d be easy to credit its streaming numbers to placated toddlers, the evidence points to inherent rewatchability playing a big factor, too.
What’s next for the princess?
Though Moana has been a behemoth on Disney Plus since it was released there following theatrical distribution, the live-action sequel in the works and the animated sequel Moana 2 hitting theaters in 2024 are likely helping to boost its staying power.
The live-action film brings back cast member Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the Moana character Maui in the 2016 Hawaiian adventure. Moana will be played by Catherine Laga’aia instead of Auli’i Cravalho, likely due to Cravalho aging out of portraying the teenage princess — not that that’s ever stopped Hollywood before.
Like Disney’s other live-action remakes, it’s poised to follow the original’s story pretty much beat by beat, with dashes of CGI and some slight changes to keep us on our toes. It’s slated to release in 2026.
As for the 2024 sequel (Are you keeping up?), it was originally conceived as a Disney Plus series before pivoting to a big-screen adventure instead. It’s expected to be a goldmine, with presale tickets outclassing any other animated offerings in 2024 so far.
Moana 2‘s plot takes place three years after the first movie and will see Moana and Maui “on an expansive journey in search of people beyond the shores of Motunui,” according to the synopsis. Moana 2 releases in U.S. theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.