The original Moana soundtrack hits 400 weeks on the Billboard 200, just shortly after the Moana 2 ... [+]
Disney struck gold with Moana in every respect. The movie was a huge commercial success, bringing in nearly $700 million globally. The soundtrack that accompanied the film was also a massive win, and it remains one to this day.
The original Moana album hits 400 weeks on the Billboard 200 as of this frame. That’s an incredibly long stay for any musical project, let alone one connected to a children’s movie.
Only 24 albums that are present on the Billboard 200 this week have lived on the ranking for longer than Moana. That group includes projects from megastars like AC/DC, Journey, Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, and even the Hamilton Broadway cast recording, which, like much of Moana, was also penned by the genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda.
As it reaches 400 frames spent on the list of the most-consumed albums in the U.S., Moana falls, though that isn’t odd for a set that’s already lived on the competitive tally for so many years. Luminate reports that in the past tracking period, the soundtrack moved another 10,000 equivalent units. That’s down nearly 7% from the week before, when it shifted closer to 11,000.
Moana peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 during its initial heyday, around the time it was released in 2016. That’s a much loftier position than the recently-dropped Moana 2 album, which has turned out to be something of a disappointment.
Moana 2 only climbed to No. 107 on the Billboard 200, and it didn’t last very long. The sequel’s album is actually sitting one rung below the first Moana on the Soundtracks chart, which is dedicated to only those releases attached to TV or film projects. Currently, they appear at Nos. 8 and 9, with the 2016 set leading.
Moana was powered largely by its lead single, “How Far I’ll Go,” which proved to be a true hit. Two versions of the tune reached the Hot 100, with pop singer Alessia Cara pushing her take to No. 56, while the one used in the film, performed by Auliʻi Cravalho, reached No. 41. The focus track from Moana 2, titled “Beyond,” has not been received nearly as well.
