The Walt Disney Company’s live action Moana may be the No. 1 movie at the North American box office, but it did not make a big splash in its first weekend in theatres.The movie, which cost a reported US$250 million (S$323.1 million) to produce, earned just US$43 million from ticket sales in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday (Jul 12).Internationally, it earned US$52 million from 50 markets, adding up to a US$95 million global debut.The studio bet big on Moana, one of its most popular franchises. The 2016 animated film is the most watched movie on Disney+. Its sequel, which was stitched together from a planned streaming series, made over US$1 billion and scored a Thanksgiving record when it opened with US$225 million in 2024. Moana 2 was also released just 19 months ago.This latest Moana, directed by Thomas Kail, brings Dwayne Johnson back as the demigod Maui and introduces Catherine Lagaʻaia as the adventuring Polynesian princess. Despite praise for Lagaʻaia, the film set sail on a wave of dismal reviews from critics for being essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original.
This image released by Disney shows Catherine Laga'aia in a scene from Moana. (Disney via AP)
