‘Moana’ Live-Action Remake Records One Of Disney’s Worst Openings Ever

Disney has spent the last decade demonstrating that its animated classics can successfully transition to live action, with films like ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Aladdin’ becoming billion-dollar franchises once again. This track record made the live-action adaptation of ‘Moana’ seem like a safer bet on this summer’s busy release schedule.

The film debuted in theaters featuring Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia taking on the title role, directed by ‘Hamilton’ creator Thomas Kail. While expectations were modest, early projections indicated a domestic opening in the $60 million to $65 million range.

However, the reality fell significantly short of those expectations. ‘Moana’ managed to earn only $95 million globally during its opening weekend, with approximately $43 million coming from domestic audiences and about $52 million internationally, all against a hefty $250 million production budget.

This disappointing result places the new ‘Moana’ alongside 2025’s ‘Snow White,’ which is often regarded as one of Disney’s biggest live-action blunders, having opened to a similar $42 million domestically and ultimately grossing just $205 million worldwide. For a studio that has largely avoided such outcomes in recent years, experiencing this pattern twice in two summers is hard to overlook.

The comparison to ‘Moana’s’ own legacy makes the figures even more painful. The original 2016 animated film debuted with $56.5 million domestically, leading to a worldwide total of $642 million, while 2024’s ‘Moana 2’ set a Thanksgiving weekend record with a $139.7 million domestic opening and eventually surpassed the billion-dollar mark globally.

Critics have not provided much support either. The live-action remake has received a low score in the thirties on Rotten Tomatoes, trailing even ‘Snow White’ and falling well behind the reception of more successful Disney remakes like ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion King.’ Audiences who did attend were more forgiving, awarding the film an A- CinemaScore, but this has not significantly altered the opening weekend results.

Timing seems to have played a crucial role in this setback. This version arrives just two years after ‘Moana 2’ completed its theatrical run and achieved a billion-dollar global total, leading industry analysts to suggest franchise fatigue as a likely reason for the lack of audience interest in revisiting the story so soon in a new format.

‘Moana’ also marks the third major disappointment of the summer season, following lackluster performances from ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Minions and Monsters,’ despite the overall summer box office being on track to be one of the strongest since before the pandemic. With a $250 million budget looming over its theatrical run, some analysts predict that the film could ultimately result in a loss of around $100 million for Disney.

The studio does have some reasons for cautious optimism looking ahead, as Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ are both set to hit theaters later this month, potentially giving the summer box office a chance to recover quickly. Whether ‘Moana’ can gain traction through positive word of mouth in the coming weeks remains to be seen.

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