Moana 2 Sets 2024 Pre-Sales Record, Primed for Blockbuster Success

Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff

C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News

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Image Source : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

For now, Disney's animated sequel Moana 2 holds the record for the biggest pre-sale ticket earnings of any 2024 release-animated film. The film reunites Moana, voiced by Auli'i Cravalho, and Maui, as portrayed by Dwayne Johnson, in a new musical adventure. Initially conceived mainly as a series for Disney+, the project was remade for theaters upon orders from its CEO Bob Iger and other executives. That seems to have paid off big time: Moana 2 is now the fourth-highest for first-day advance ticket sales across all 2024 movies, behind only Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked, and Dune: Part Two, per Fandango via The Hollywood Reporter.

Opening on November 27, well in advance of Thanksgiving, Moana 2 has weeks and weeks to go to continue improving on that figure. The great opening could put it on pace to rival, and likely surpass, the Inside Out 2-dominating box office for animated releases so far this year, with totals over $1.6 billion. With a free and clear weekend ahead of Thanksgiving and minimal family-oriented competition, Moana 2 would appear in position for wide audiences. For Disney, it could mean this is a return to form, as Thanksgiving releases in recent times have not been performing this strongly.

What Does This Success Entail for Moana 2?

With its strong presales, Moana 2 is positioned to leave Inside Out 2 in the dust and mark a new record for Disney. To do that, the movie would have to have a strong opening over Thanksgiving and hold well into early 2025. Wicked and Gladiator II also will hit theaters just before Thanksgiving, but Moana 2 will be the only major family-friendly offering in theaters over the holiday, which could help it capture a broader audience.

Disney's Decision to Go Theatrical Pays Off

Whereas Moana 2 was supposed to be a streaming series initially, it seems an epic storyline with new additions of mythology would merge well into the cinema style. Record-breaking pre-sales hint that Disney's remaking of the story for the theaters was financially reasonable. Moana 2 seems like the film-theater version, with more gods and demigods in its cast, to be what people want to see in theaters.

Legendary Crocodile Cassius, World’s Largest in Captivity, Passes Away in Australia

Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff

C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News

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Image Source : Rex

Cassius, the world's biggest saltwater crocodile held in captivity, has died on an island off Queensland, Australia, at a wildlife sanctuary. He was estimated to be over 110 years old, even though nobody knew what the exact age was. The giant reptile was measuring 5.5 meters, or 18 feet, in length and weighing close to one tonne. The huge saltwater crocodile had lived since the 1980s at the Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat.

In 2011, Cassius laid claim to the title of Guinness World Record holder for the largest crocodile in captivity. Marineland Melanesia announced his passing via social media. They also referred to Cassius as "our beloved mate" and "a cherished member of our family."

Before capture, Cassius was known to have attacked cattle and damaged propellers of boats in the wild. This only got him captured and finally transferred. George Craig, founder of the sanctuary, bought Cassius in 1987, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. For over 37 years, Cassius kept Craig companionable and happy; Craig had recently moved to Cairns, reports stated, about the time Cassius's health began to go downhill.

Image Source : Rex

The sanctuary said in a statement filled with deep respect: "We are grateful to all those who, throughout the years, could come to visit Cassius and offer him acts of kind regard and admiration." Additionally, the sanctuary announced that in the days to come, it may operate at reduced capacity as staff mourn the loss of this remarkable crocodile.

41-year-old who completed first civilian spacewalk left high school to build a $7B business

Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff

C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter covering science and geopolitics.

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Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman during spacesuit testing. Image Source: (John Kraus/Polaris Program)

Billionaire Jared Isaacman made history in space - again.

Isaacman recently spent 10 minutes floating in the vacuum of space outside a SpaceX capsule. The billionaire CEO and founder of Shift4 Payments participated in the first-ever all-civilian spacewalk, three years after leading a 2021 SpaceX mission as the commander of the world’s first all-civilian orbital flight.

Both private missions were funded by Isaacman himself for undisclosed amounts. His estimated net worth stands at $1.9 billion, according to Forbes.

"I decided I was going to go to space when I was 5 years old," Isaacman shared in a 2021 interview. "I was pretty calculated about it at that point; it just took me a little while to get it into motion."

At 41, Isaacman is a skilled pilot who set a world record in 2009 for the fastest flight around the globe in a light jet. He is also a strong advocate for the growth of the private space industry, envisioning “a future where everyone can explore the stars.”

Here's how he transformed from a teenage entrepreneur running a business out of his parents’ basement in New Jersey to a billionaire floating in space.

From Teen Entrepreneur to Billionaire Astronaut

As a teenager, Isaacman’s computer skills helped him land an IT consulting job at a payment processing firm, causing him to drop out of high school. Within months, the 16-year-old decided to create a rival company, simplifying his clients’ experience by having business owners fill out their applications online.

He used a $10,000 check from his grandfather as seed money and set up shop in his childhood home’s basement. ”$10,000, you know, you needed to build a couple of computers,” Isaacman said. “That wasn’t expensive. And, you needed some phones, and that was enough to get you going.”

His first employees included his friend Brendan Lauber, who was Shift4′s chief technology officer until last year, and Isaacman’s dad, a salesman who had previously worked for a home security company.

Shift4 went public in June 2020, and has a market value of $7.4 billion, as of Friday afternoon. It’s based out of a 75,000-square-foot headquarters in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, and the company has over 2,000 employees across the country.

“There’s just no way, at that age, you could ever imagine” the company becoming worth billions of dollars, said Isaacman. “One of the best times at a startup is when you’ve got the eight people in the basement eating Chinese food and everybody kind of shares knowledge, and you share in your successes and failures together, and you learn together.”

Flying to Beat Burnout

Working nonstop to launch his business at such a young age nearly led Isaacman to early burnout. As a lifelong aviation enthusiast, he took up flying lessons in his 20s as a way to unwind.

In 2009, he broke a world record by flying around the world in a Cessna Citation CJ2 in just under 62 hours, shaving about 20 hours off the previous record. Three years later, he founded Draken International, a company that trains student pilots for the U.S. Air Force, which he sold to Blackstone Group in 2020 for a “nine-figure sum,” as reported by Forbes.

As the private space industry began to take off, Isaacman saw a chance to elevate his flying passion. Starting around 2007, he said he began contacting SpaceX and other private aerospace firms, expressing his interest: "Hey, if space travel ever becomes a reality, keep me in mind."

His opportunity arrived in 2021 when he led a three-day mission in orbit with a four-person crew. During his recent five-day journey, he suited up and ventured outside the capsule for a spacewalk.

“I consider myself incredibly fortunate,” Isaacman told Bloomberg before the spacewalk. "From a teenage startup in a basement, just trying to buy pizza on the weekends, it’s grown into something extraordinary."