By J. Kim Murphy According To The variety The big splash continues for Disney’s “Moana 2,” which earned a massive $54.5 million on Black Friday from 4,200 locations, shattering the $34.1 million record that was notched by “Frozen II” in 2019. Not only that, but the film has now earned $140 million and already surged past the five-day holiday weekend record by “Frozen II” ($125 million) — and it didn’t even need Saturday or Sunday grosses to do it. It’s a welcome return to the top for Walt Disney Animation, particularly after turning in two box office duds (“Strange World” and “Wish”) over the past two Novembers — and it’s strong evidence that the company’s family fare is still a superlative theatrical draw. “Moana 2” was originally conceived as a Disney+ series, but the studio’s deci...

By J. Kim Murphy According To The variety The major Hollywood studios skirted this post-election weekend and held off on new releases. Their absence is others’ gain though, as A24‘s tricky thriller “Heretic” and Lionsgate’s seasonal play “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” each look to make a solid impression in their opening weekends. But it’s Sony’s “Venom: The Last Dance” that continues to stay on top of domestic charts. After an underwhelming opening weekend, the “Spider-Man” spinoff has been putting up solid holds, turning in another one here. “The Last Dance” added $3.9 million on Friday, on its way to about $14 million for its third weekend of release. It has now notched $100 million in North America and will pass “Alien: Romulus” ($105 million), “IF” ($111 million) and “Gh...