Disney’s Live-Action ‘Moana’ Hits $300 Million Box Office Milestone But Remains Unprofitable

Disney’s strategy of remaking beloved animated classics into live-action films has led to some of the studio’s most significant box office successes in recent years. However, this approach is showing signs of fatigue, as evidenced by the struggles of one of this summer’s major releases.

The live-action version of ‘Moana’ premiered in theaters on July 10, marking a decade since the original animated film’s release and less than two years after ‘Moana 2’ became a billion-dollar sensation. Directed by Thomas Kail, known for his work on “Hamilton,” the remake features Australian actress Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui.

Unfortunately, the timing of this release has not favored the film. ‘Moana’ has now surpassed $300 million at the global box office, but this achievement comes against a staggering production budget of $250 million, not accounting for Disney’s marketing expenses, which are estimated to be around $120 million.

This combination means the film needs to reach a break-even point of approximately $600 million, factoring in the typical 50 percent cut taken by theater owners. Despite reaching this milestone, ‘Moana’ is still about half of its total investment away from generating a profit for Disney.

The film’s challenges began with a lackluster opening weekend. ‘Moana’ debuted to $43 million domestically and around $95 million worldwide, falling significantly short of Disney’s pre-release expectations of $60 to $65 million in the U.S. and $140 million globally.

This opening placed ‘Moana’ among the weakest debuts in Disney’s live-action remake history, drawing comparisons to the 2025 release of ‘Snow White,’ which also opened with a $42 million domestic debut against a similar $250 million budget, ultimately grossing around $205 million worldwide. Analysts have pointed to the timing as a crucial factor in the film’s underperformance, suggesting that audiences may be less inclined to revisit a story they have seen twice in the last decade.

Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock highlighted the challenge Disney faces with its remake strategy, emphasizing that success hinges on whether audiences perceive a remake as a genuine event or merely a rehash of something familiar. For ‘Moana,’ this distinction seems to have hindered its performance from the beginning.

Despite its rocky start, ‘Moana’ has shown some positive retention as it continues its theatrical run. The film experienced a modest 56 percent decline in its second weekend, outperforming several other recent Disney remakes and allowing it to steadily approach its current $300 million total.

Audience reception has also remained relatively strong, with the film earning an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, indicating that those who attended generally enjoyed the experience. Positive word-of-mouth has historically helped some Disney films recover from slow starts, as seen with 2024’s ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ which opened to a disappointing $35 million but ultimately grossed $722 million worldwide.

Nevertheless, ‘Moana’s’ journey to a turnaround appears quite challenging due to its hefty budget and the competitive summer landscape, which includes titles like ‘Toy Story 5’ and ‘Minions & Monsters.’ Unless the film’s international performance picks up significantly in the upcoming weeks, ‘Moana’ seems likely to join ‘Snow White’ as one of Disney’s most costly live-action remake disappointments in recent memory.

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