Disney‘s live-action Moana did not make the summer splash that the studio had hoped, leading to questions about not only what might be in store at the box office for the Dwayne Johnson-led title but also the potential for developing remakes of other animated favorites.
After last year’s Lilo & Stitch had a record-breaking $183 million four-day opening weekend domestically before surpassing $1 billion in its global run, the live-action Moana appeared to represent a likely win as the summer approached. After all, the original 2016 animated movie — starring Johnson as the voice of demigod Maui who helps the titular girl (Auli’i Cravalho) save her island — has become a beloved property for families and counts as the most-watched feature on Disney+. And, of course, Moana 2 confirmed the excitement for new theatrical entries from the franchise when it hit $1 billion after its November 2024 release — although there is more to discuss with that one in a moment.
Despite Disney anticipating an opening above $60 million domestically after third-party tracking initially suggested the film could launch to as much as $75 million, the live-action Moana was left gasping at the box office. Its $43 million opening in North America puts it in dubious company as one of the weakest debuts for Disney’s remakes and is particularly tough given its $250 million production budget. Other misfires included last year’s $42.2 million opening for Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s Snow White and the $45.9 million bow for 2019’s Tim Burton-directed Dumbo, although both of those reimagined originals from generations prior and might have felt dated to younger audiences. Additionally, the live-action Snow White found itself caught up in the culture wars.
