Disney’s South Pacific animated tale Moana fell short of a Frozen-sized debut, but it still dominated the Thanksgiving box office in the US.

The movie – which is set in ancient Polynesia and features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House and Nicole Scherzinger – took in an estimated $81.1 million (£65.5 million) over the five-day weekend.

It earned $55.5 million (£44.4 million) from Friday to Sunday.

It didn’t match the 2013 Thanksgiving release of Frozen, which opened with $93.6 million (£74.9 million).

But Moana scored the second highest Turkey Day debut ever.

Falling to second was JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which earned $65.8 million (£52.7 million) over the five-day weekend.

Those releases far outpaced more star-driven films.

The Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard World War II romance Allied opened with a mediocre $18 million (£14 million) over five days.

And Warren Beatty’s first film in 15 years, Rules Don’t Apply, bombed with $2.2 million (£1.7 million).