'moana' Loses Its Way At The Box Office With A $43-million Domestic Opening

Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana” mislaid its measurement astatine nan container agency this play arsenic nan company’s latest live-action remake opened to a sluggish $43 cardinal successful nan U.S. and Canada.

The home haul for “Moana” underperformed workplace expectations, which ranged from $60 cardinal to $65 million. Globally, nan movie brought successful a full of $95 cardinal connected a accumulation fund of astir $250 million.

Despite its lackluster debut, nan movie still came successful first astatine nan container agency during a play wherever it had fewer caller competitors successful nan family movie space.

The “Moana” franchise has been a box-office and streaming juggernaut. The original 2016 animated movie brought successful much than $643 cardinal worldwide and is nan most-watched movie connected Disney+, while a 2024 sequel grossed much than $1 cardinal astatine nan world container office. On nan merchandise side, much than 22 cardinal “Moana”-themed toys person been sold. “Moana” besides appears successful nan Disney taxable parks.

But nan theatrical reception for nan live-action movie whitethorn awesome that audiences deliberation there’s been excessively overmuch “Moana” successful conscionable 10 years. (The 2024 movie sequel was primitively group to beryllium a streaming bid earlier it was moved to Disney’s theatrical calendar.)

Most of Disney’s erstwhile live-action remakes person travel decades aft nan original animated movie, specified arsenic 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch,” which arrived 23 years aft its animated predecessor and grossed much than $1 cardinal successful worldwide container agency receipts.

The theatrical haul for nan latest “Moana” whitethorn besides person suffered from mediocre reviews — nan movie sewage a 34% connected aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, pinch respective critics highlighting its astir frame-by-frame similarity to nan original film. The assemblage people connected Rotten Tomatoes, however, was 90%.

Still, arsenic nan past of this summer’s awesome animated films, “Moana” could spot a longer tail successful theaters, peculiarly pinch galore children still connected break from school. Disney’s live-action “Mufasa: The Lion King” opened successful 2024 to a middling $35 million, but ended up grossing much than $722 cardinal globally done nan vacation season.

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” came successful 2nd astatine nan home container agency this play pinch $20.5 million. Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” continued its beardown tally pinch an $18.5-million haul, capable for 3rd spot and contributing to a full world gross of $879.1 million.

Warner Bros.’ “Evil Dead Burn” ($13.7 million) and Angel Studios’ “Young Washington” ($6.4 million) rounded retired nan apical five.

Also notable this weekend: Lionsgate’s philharmonic biopic “Michael” crossed $1 cardinal successful worldwide container agency revenue, nan first clip that nan workplace has reached that milestone and nan 2nd movie this twelvemonth aft “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” to deed that mark.