Moana Live-Action Remake Opens Below Expectations at Box Office
Disney’s live-action reimagining of “Moana” opened well below expectations at the domestic box office this weekend, pulling in an estimated $42 million to $46 million against pre-release projections of $60 million or more.
The soft debut leaves Disney facing questions over its $250 million production bet, arriving less than two years after the animated “Moana 2” crossed $1 billion worldwide and just a decade after the original 2016 film became one of the studio’s most enduring franchises. Industry analysts point to a combination of franchise fatigue, weak reviews and crowded family competition at the summer box office.
The film made roughly $18 million on its opening day, including $4.5 million in Thursday previews, from 3,875 North American theaters, according to studio estimates. The soft start puts the new “Moana” in similar territory to last year’s “Snow White,” another Disney live-action remake that opened to roughly $42 million amid its own set of production controversies.
Far Below Animated Sequel Moana 2
The underwhelming debut is a sharp contrast to “Moana 2,” the animated sequel that opened with $139.7 million domestically over its Thanksgiving 2024 frame and went on to gross more than $1 billion worldwide. The original “Moana” ultimately earned $684 million globally against a $150 million budget. The live-action version cost Disney $250 million to produce, not including marketing.
Directed by Thomas Kail and starring newcomer Catherine Laga’aia as Moana alongside Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui, the remake follows the same story as the 2016 original: a young Polynesian woman who sets out across the ocean to save her island from a spreading curse.
Reviews for the film have been largely negative, with critics’ aggregate scores in the mid-30s percent range on Rotten Tomatoes, though individual outlets have reported slightly different figures. The site’s critics consensus described the film as “a rather lifeless endeavor” compared with its animated predecessor.
Attributed to Negative Reviews
Box office analyst Daniel Garris attributed the soft opening in part to underwhelming trailers and largely negative reviews combining with the film’s proximity to “Moana 2.” Other analysts have pointed to the roughly 19-month gap between the sequel and the remake as too short a window to rebuild audience appetite for another trip to the same story.
The film also faces steep competition in a crowded summer field, opening in the same stretch as Universal’s “Minions & Monsters” and Disney’s own “Toy Story 5,” with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” still yet to release. Disney is counting on international audiences and a longer theatrical run to help offset the film’s production costs. Overseas returns were not yet finalized at the time of reporting.
Despite the domestic shortfall, Johnson has confirmed that a third “Moana” film is already in development, according to multiple entertainment trade reports.
