Disney's live-action 'Moana' flops with $95m global opening, arriving too soon after animated sequel to spark nostalgia

A disastrous opening

Disney's live-action "Moana" opened to $43 million from 3,827 North American locations and $52 million internationally for a worldwide total of $95 million. That fell $45 million short of the $140 million global launch the studio had projected, and domestic sales were roughly 30 percent below the targeted $60 million. The result ranks among the weakest debuts for Disney's live-action remakes, beside 2025's "Snow White," which opened to $42 million domestically and $87 million globally. With a production budget of $250 million and a global marketing spend of around $145 million, the film faces a potential $100 million to $125 million loss even if it reaches $250 million in global box office, according to Deadline's sources.

This opening isn't close to Disney's past remakes.

Too much Moana, too soon

Box office analysts pointed to franchise overexposure. The original "Moana" arrived in 2016, but the billion-dollar sequel "Moana 2" hit theaters only 22 months earlier, in November 2024. The result is a property that is already everywhere, the two animated films are the most-streamed on Disney+, the soundtracks have accumulated 26 billion streams, 22 million toys have been sold, and 35 Moana-themed attractions dot Disney parks and cruise ships. The trailer recorded 182 million views in 24 hours, the second-highest ever for a non-Marvel, non-Star Wars Disney live-action title, indicating initial interest that simply did not convert into ticket sales. By contrast, Disney's successful remakes of "Lilo & Stitch," "The Lion King," "Aladdin," and "Beauty and the Beast" all targeted properties from the 1990s and early 2000s, where the nostalgia gap was wide enough to generate excitement. A remake of 2010's "Tangled" is scheduled for 2028.

Self-cannibalization in a crowded July

Competition from within Disney's own slate deepened the wound. Pixar's "Toy Story 5" earned $45 million internationally in its fourth weekend, lifting its global cume to $879 million, while Illumination/Universal's "Minions & Monsters" took in $39 million from 79 territories. In family-driven markets like Mexico and Brazil, "Moana" was beaten by "Toy Story 5," despite Disney's positioning of the live-action film as skewing female. Overseas, the top markets were Australia ($5.3 million), France ($5.2 million) and South Korea ($3.8 million), while China delivered a dispiriting $1.2 million.

Disney's defense and the uphill path

Disney publicly described the debut as "a good start ahead of a full month of summer vacation play with families," highlighting an A-minus CinemaScore and a 90 percent positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which starkly contrasts with the negative critical reaction. Directed by Thomas Kail and starring Catherine Laga'aia as Moana opposite Dwayne Johnson as Maui, the film is now relying on summer weekday crowds and word-of-mouth to limit losses. Gross called the weekend performance "weak" and a departure from the studio's track record. Whether the audience goodwill can propel a longer run remains the open question of a summer that, for Disney, got off to a sobering start.