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Disney’s live-action Moana fails to make a splash at box office with underwhelming opening

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Disney's live-action "Moana" had an underwhelming opening weekend, earning $43 million in North America and $95 million globally.
  • The film, with a reported production cost of $250 million, underperformed compared to its highly successful 2016 animated predecessor and its billion-dollar sequel.
  • Critics gave the film dismal reviews, though audiences were more positive, with many recommending it; its opening is comparable to the poorly received "Snow White" remake.

Disney's live-action adaptation of "Moana" failed to make a significant impact at the box office during its opening weekend, despite being the number one movie in North America. The film garnered an estimated $43 million in ticket sales across the US and Canada, with an additional $52 million from international markets, resulting in a global debut of $95 million.

This performance falls considerably short of expectations, especially considering the reported $250 million production budget. The original 2016 animated "Moana" is the most-watched film on Disney+, and its sequel, released in 2024, exceeded $1 billion in earnings. The new live-action version, directed by Thomas Kail and starring Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana, faced criticism for being a near shot-for-shot remake of the original, leading to a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Moana’s debut could also be a product of PG-rated oversaturation in the marketplace: Universal’s Minions & Monsters was in second place with $20.5m and Toy Story 5 was close behind in third place with $18.5m, with a running global total of $879.1m.

— Paul DergarabedianHead of marketplace trends for Rentrak, commenting on the competitive family film market.

While critics were largely unimpressed, audience reception was more favorable. PostTrak reported that 63% of moviegoers, predominantly women (66%), said they would "definitely" recommend the film. Parent reactions were even stronger, with 78% indicating they would recommend it to other parents, and the film received an A- CinemaScore.

The film's opening weekend performance aligns more closely with other Disney live-action remakes that have struggled, such as last year's "Snow White," which earned $42.2 million domestically and $87 million globally in its opening. Industry analysts suggest that the crowded market for family-friendly films, with "Minions & Monsters" and "Toy Story 5" also performing well, may have contributed to "Moana's" modest debut. However, some analysts note that family films can have strong legs beyond their opening weekend, as demonstrated by "Minions & Monsters'" performance.

Families have to make a choice and, after four weekends, Toy Story 5 is still going strong.

— Paul DergarabedianExplaining the competition faced by new family films at the box office.
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Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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