Disney’s next movie faces an impossible task keeping its major streak alive
A high bar for Hexed
Disney often releases a major film in theaters around Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States. This year, Avengers: Doomsday is set for the holiday season, while Hexed is scheduled to arrive beforehand.
The animated film centers on a young girl who learns she has magical powers. Its cast includes Steinfeld, Rashida Jones, Jodie Foster, Walton Goggins, Tracey Ullman, Henry Winkler and Dan Stevens.
Recent hits had built-in audiences
Moana 2, released in 2024, earned more than $1.059 billion worldwide on a $150 million budget. It was initially developed for Disney+ before the studio moved it to theaters, and it remained in cinemas past the new year.
The first Moana, released in 2016, earned $687 million and received Academy Award nominations. It also had a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, giving the sequel an established audience to draw on.
Original stories face uncertainty
Zootopia 2 arrived during Thanksgiving week and followed the 2016 film Zootopia, which earned $1.026 billion worldwide. The sequel had a reported $150 million budget and remained in theaters into the new year.
Hexed is neither a sequel nor a prequel, so audiences will be encountering its characters and setting for the first time. Original films such as Frozen and Zootopia have succeeded, but the article argues that Hexed matching the recent billion-dollar releases would be a difficult outcome to expect.
Key points
- Hexed is an animated original about a girl who discovers magical powers.
- Moana 2 and Zootopia 2 each earned more than $1 billion worldwide.
- Both recent Thanksgiving hits followed successful films released in 2016.
- Hexed must introduce audiences to unfamiliar characters and a new world.