Although “Moana” led the box office on Friday, the live-action remake didn’t make the domestic splash Disney was probably hoping for.
“Moana” made just $18 million on Friday from 3,875 North American theaters. Rival estimates have it grossing $45 million through opening weekend, which is below the $56 million the original “Moana” earned over its debut in 2016. Disney shelled out $250 million for the live-action reprise, up from the $175 million spent on its animated older sibling, meaning “Moana” needs to stick around in theaters for a while to justify costs.
Disney bet big on the live-action “Moana,” and for good reason. Both in home entertainment and at the box office, “Moana” has been one of Disney’s most popular franchises. The first film, which made $642 million by the end of its run, is one of the most-watched titles ever on Disney+. “Moana 2,” which was retooled from a scrapped made-for-streaming “Moana” TV show, set a Thanksgiving weekend record with a $225 million debut. It went on to do just over $1 billion worldwide.
Pulling off a successful live-action remake has been a tightrope walk for the Mouse House in recent years. While films like 2016’s “Jungle Book” ($967 million worldwide), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” ($1.26 billion worldwide) and 2019’s “The Lion King” ($1.6 billion worldwide) were all major earners, more recent fare like 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” ($569 million worldwide) and 2025’s “Snow White” ($205 million worldwide), did not drum up enough buisness to justify costs. The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” managed to gross $1 billion following its May 2025 release, but that success now seems like an outlier. The dwindling gains are most likely due to audience fatigue with IP and remakes, and these Disney offerings are a cocktail of both.
