The $250 million remake earned $43 million in North America and $52 million internationally, falling short of studio expectations and continuing Disney's struggles with animated-to-live-action adaptations.
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Walt Disney Company's live-action remake of Moana earned $95 million globally during its opening weekend, falling significantly short of studio expectations and marking another underperformance for the company's strategy of adapting animated films with live actors.
The film generated $43 million from ticket sales in the United States and Canada, while international markets across 50 territories contributed $52 million. Despite leading the North American box office, the opening disappointed given the film's reported production budget of $250 million, not including marketing expenses.
Disney had anticipated a global opening between $130 million and $140 million for the weekend. The actual result represents one of the weaker debuts among the studio's recent live-action remakes.
The live-action Moana revisits the story of the 2016 animated film set in the fictional Polynesian island of Motunui. Dwayne Johnson reprises his voice role as the demigod Maui in the live-action version, with Catherine Laga'aia playing the title character. The film was directed by Thomas Kail.
The original 2016 animated Moana generated over $640 million at the global box office and achieved substantial viewership on streaming platforms, becoming one of the most-watched films on Disney's streaming service.
The live-action remake's weak opening mirrors the performance of another recent Disney live-action adaptation, the 2025 remake of Snow White, which also represented a high-budget production that underperformed commercially. Both films have reignited discussion about the effectiveness of Disney's strategy to transform acclaimed animated properties into live-action films.
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