The Walt Disney Company’s live-action adaptation of Moana has landed at the top of the domestic box office but failed to create a significant impact during its opening weekend. The film, which had an impressive production budget of $250 million, managed to garner only $43 million from ticket sales across the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
On the international front, Moana brought in an additional $52 million from 50 markets, summing up to a global debut of $95 million. Disney placed substantial confidence in this franchise, one of its most beloved, following the success of the 2016 animated film which remains the most-watched title on Disney+. The sequel, repurposed from a planned streaming series, crossed the $1 billion mark and set a Thanksgiving weekend record by opening to $225 million in 2024. Notably, Moana 2 was released just 19 months ago.
Directed by Thomas Kail, this latest iteration of Moana features Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui, alongside newcomers like Catherine Laga'aia, who portrays the adventurous Polynesian princess. Despite receiving praise for Laga'aia's performance, the film has been critiqued harshly by reviewers for being a near shot-for-shot remake of the original, reflected in its current 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audience reception, however, indicates a more favorable perspective; a substantial 66% of ticket buyers were women, with 63% stating they would "definitely" recommend the film to friends, according to PostTrak. Parent reactions were even more enthusiastic, with 78% encouraging other parents to check it out, and a promising A- CinemaScore suggests a positive outlook among viewers.
Disney's live-action remakes have had a varied track record, with some films like Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast exceeding $1 billion in box office revenue. Conversely, others, such as last year’s Snow White, which grossed a mere $205 million globally, have struggled to capture audiences.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, suggested that Moana’s lukewarm debut might be attributed to oversaturation in the PG-rated film sector. Competing films, notably Universal’s Minions & Monsters, which came in second with $20.5 million, and Toy Story 5 in third with $18.5 million, all vie for family audiences. Dergarabedian commented that families face a dilemma with so many options available, as is evident with Toy Story 5 continuing to perform strongly after four weekends, compiling a running global total of $879.1 million.
There are indications that the initial weekend's earnings may not be definitive metrics for success. For instance, Minions & Monsters, which opened disappointingly during the Fourth of July holiday, has seen only a modest 45% drop in its second weekend, currently totalling $108.3 million domestically.
Among the weekend’s other notable releases, the horror film Evil Dead Burn, a Warner Bros. offering, opened to $13.7 million, finishing in fourth place. In fifth place, Angel Studios' film about George Washington, Young Washington, earned $6.4 million in its second weekend.
