Disney’s latest live-action gamble just crashed harder than anyone expected. The studio’s Dwayne Johnson-led Moana remake opened to devastating box office numbers that could spell massive financial losses.
How Moana’s global debut raises concerns over its box office run
Disney’s live-action Moana earned $95 million worldwide in its opening weekend, Variety reports. The film collected $43 million domestically from 3,827 North American theaters. It also brought in $52 million from overseas markets during its global launch.
Those numbers fall well below Disney’s own pre-release projections for the tentpole. The studio had initially estimated a $60 million to $65 million domestic debut. Disney also projected around $140 million globally, making the actual results a significant shortfall.
The film carries a massive $250 million production budget before marketing costs. Sources indicate that Disney spent an estimated $145 million on global promotion and advertising. With these combined expenses, industry analysts project the film could lose between $100 million and $125 million theatrically.
David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe, highlighted the core issue. “Disney invented this live-action phenomenon based on their animated films, and they’ve had remarkable success with them,” Gross said. “But this opening isn’t close to Disney’s past remakes.”
The timing proved especially problematic for the live-action adaptation. Moana 2 grossed over $1 billion after opening around Thanksgiving 2024, just 20 months earlier. “The last Moana was a smash 20 months ago, but that makes this a very brief return for a remake,” Gross added. “This story wasn’t ready to come back, and audiences are not rushing to see it.”
Moana’s debut now rivals Snow White’s $42 million opening as the weakest among Disney’s remakes. Meanwhile, successful adaptations like Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, and Aladdin each opened above $100 million. Those films drew from properties released in the 1990s and early 2000s, which appears to represent a nostalgia sweet spot. Critics gave Moana a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences awarded it an A- CinemaScore.
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