Disney's Moana tops US Thanksgiving box office

Moana (left) is voiced by Auli'i Cravalho while Dwayne Johnson is behind the character Maui

Disney's latest animation Moana dominated the Thanksgiving box office over the five-day US holiday weekend.

The film about a princess's mythical journey in ancient Polynesia took an estimated $81.1m (£65.3m) on its debut.

That makes it the second-highest Thanksgiving debut of all time, behind Disney's Frozen, which took $93.6m (£75.3m) on its release in 2013.

Some observers have said that Moana and its merchandise are appropriating Pacific Island culture.

Disney withdrew a children's costume promoting the film after activists branded it "brownface", or mocking of their culture by stereotyping.

The costume, a full-body suit with brown skin, traditional tattoos, grass skirt and bone necklace, represented the character Maui, considered a demi-god and ancestor by many Polynesians.

Disney said it regretted any offence.

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JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fell to second on the US chart, taking $65.8m (£53m).

Gossip surrounding Brad Pitt's marriage break-up failed to spark a huge amount of interest in his World War Two romance Allied, which also stars Marion Cotillard.

It took $18m (£14.4m) over the long weekend, having cost $85m (£68.5m) to make, landing in fourth spot behind Doctor Strange.

Kyle Davies, Paramount's head of domestic distribution, said the film appealed to "older audiences" but noted those "don't storm the theatres [on] weekend one".

"I think they're going to take their time," he added.

Warren Beatty fared worse - his first film in 15 years, the 1950s Hollywood comedy Rules Don't Apply, took just $2.2m (£1.7m). The film is Beatty's first directed feature since 1998's Bulworth.

Bad Santa 2, released 13 years after the original and again starring Billy Bob Thornton, did a little better, taking $9m (£7.3m).