Disney’s live-action Moana fails to make a splash at box office with underwhelming opening
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- Moana (Disney's live-action remake, directed by Thomas Kail) opened to $43M domestically and $95M globally — a modest debut for a film reportedly costing $250M to produce.
- Critics panned the film with a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score, with reviewers calling it essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the 2016 animated original.
- Dwayne Johnson returns as the demigod Maui alongside newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana; audiences responded more warmly, with 63% recommending the film (78% of parents) and an A- CinemaScore.
- Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, attributed the soft debut partly to PG-rated oversaturation, noting Universal's Minions & Monsters ($20.5M) and Toy Story 5 ($18.5M) took second and third place.
- The 2016 animated Moana is Disney+'s most-watched movie, and its 2024 sequel opened with a Thanksgiving-record $225M before passing $1B — raising the bar the live-action version hasn't matched.
- Disney's live-action remake track record is mixed: Lilo + Stitch, The Lion King, and Beauty and Beast crossed $1B worldwide, while last year's Snow White made only $205M globally on a comparable $42.2M domestic opening.
Why it matters: The $250M-budget Moana remake's $95M global opening and 34% Rotten Tomatoes score suggest Disney's live-action remake formula is hitting diminishing returns, especially given last year's Snow White also flopped at $205M worldwide. With three PG family films competing simultaneously, the family-film ceiling may be real.
