Disney's Live-Action 'Moana' Opens to Lukewarm $95 Million Worldwide

Disney's latest live-action remake, Moana, topped the North American box office in its opening weekend but failed to make a major splash. According to studio estimates, the film earned just $43 million in the US and Canada and $52 million in 50 international markets, for a global debut of $95 million.

The result is underwhelming considering the film's reported $250 million production budget and the popularity of the franchise. The original 2016 animated Moana is the most-watched movie on Disney+, and its 2024 sequel grossed over $1 billion, setting a Thanksgiving record with a $225 million opening. Directed by Thomas Kail, the live-action version stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui and introduces Australian actress Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana. While Lagaʻaia received praise, the film garnered dismal reviews from critics, scoring just 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were somewhat more positive: 66% of opening weekend viewers were women, and 63% said they would definitely recommend the film. Parent reactions were even stronger, with 78% saying they would recommend it to other parents. The film earned an A- CinemaScore.

Disney's live-action remakes have seen both huge successes (Lilo + Stitch, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast all crossed $1 billion) and failures, most notably last year's Snow White, which made only $205 million worldwide. Moana's opening is on par with Snow White, which earned $42.2 million domestically and $87 million globally in its first weekend.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak, attributed Moana's modest debut to PG-rated oversaturation in the marketplace. Universal's Minions & Monsters took second place with $20.5 million, while Toy Story 5 was close behind with $18.5 million and a running global total of $879.1 million. "Families love going to the movies but right now there are three of them. That's a lot of competition," Dergarabedian said. He noted that PG films have outperformed others in 2024 and 2025, so Moana's performance suggests a ceiling rather than family movie fatigue. Families have to choose, and Toy Story 5 continues to hold strong after four weekends.

Year-to-date, the domestic box office stands at nearly $5.2 billion, up 10.7% from last year. While May and June each generated over $1 billion, July has faced headwinds with several underperformers, including Supergirl. The outlook may improve with the upcoming releases of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day the following weekend.