‘Moana’s’ Live-Action Remake Is Taking On Water at the Box Office
Disney has built an entire cottage industry out of turning its animated classics into live-action spectacles, and for years that formula printed money almost every time. From ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to ‘The Lion King,’ audiences reliably showed up in droves, making the studio’s bet on revisiting beloved stories feel like a safe one heading into each new release.
That confidence is exactly why the new live-action ‘Moana’ was expected to be another guaranteed win, especially with Dwayne Johnson returning as Maui and Catherine Lagaʻaia stepping into the title role. Instead, the film has become one of the more painful box office stories of the summer.
According to Variety, the film opened domestically with just $43 million from 3,827 North American theaters, and it earned $52 million overseas for a combined global launch of only $95 million. That number lands the movie in the same rough territory as 2025’s widely mocked ‘Snow White’ remake, and it arrives on a reported production budget of $250 million before marketing costs are even factored in.
The gap between spend and return is staggering. Because major tentpoles typically need to earn back around two and a half times their production budget, Moana’s break-even point could sit as high as $625 million, a target that now looks almost impossible to hit. Industry trackers currently project the film could end up losing roughly $100 million by the time its run wraps.
Part of the problem seems to be timing. The 2016 animated original remains the most watched film on Disney+, and its sequel, Moana 2, made over a billion dollars worldwide after opening to a Thanksgiving record of $225 million just two years ago. Coming so soon after that success, the live-action version may have simply asked audiences to return to the same well too quickly.
Critics were not kind either. The film currently holds just a 35 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, a steep drop compared to earlier live-action hits like ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Audience reaction has been more forgiving, with the film pulling a strong grade on CinemaScore exit polls, suggesting the people who did buy tickets mostly enjoyed themselves even as the wider box office numbers disappointed.
Crowded family competition didn’t help matters. ‘Moana’ had to fight for screen time against both ‘Minions and Monsters’ and ‘Toy Story 5,’ two other PG-rated releases pulling in the same audience during the same window. Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian pointed to this overlap as a real factor, noting that families simply had too many similar options competing for their attention at once.
The stumble now puts extra pressure on Disney’s next live-action swing, a remake of ‘Tangled’ currently filming in Spain. That project was reportedly paused briefly after Snow White’s disappointing debut before moving forward again following the success of Lilo and Stitch. Whether ‘Moana’ recovers with strong word of mouth or continues to sink, its opening weekend has already become a cautionary tale.
Do you think ‘Moana’ can still find its footing in theaters, or has Disney finally hit a wall with its live-action remakes?
