Disney's live-action remake of Moana opened as the No. 1 movie in North America but failed to make a significant splash, earning only $43 million domestically and $95 million worldwide against a reported $250 million production budget, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
Box Office Performance
The film, directed by Thomas Kail, earned $43 million from the US and Canada and an additional $52 million from 50 international markets, resulting in a global debut of $95 million. This performance is on par with last year's Snow White, which opened with $42.2 million domestically and $87 million globally, and ultimately earned only $205 million worldwide.
Critical Reception and Audience Response
Critics panned the film, giving it a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many calling it a shot-for-shot remake of the 2016 animated original. Audiences were more favorable: 66% of opening weekend viewers were women, and 63% said they would definitely recommend the film to friends, according to PostTrak. Parent reactions were even stronger, with 78% saying they would recommend it to other parents. The film earned an A- CinemaScore.
Competition in the PG Market
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, attributed the underwhelming debut partly to oversaturation in the PG-rated market. Universal's Minions & Monsters took second place with $20.5 million, and Toy Story 5 was third with $18.5 million, bringing its global total to $879.1 million. "Families love going to the movies but right now there are three of them," Dergarabedian said. "That's a lot of competition."
Disney's Live-Action Track Record
Disney has seen both massive successes and notable failures with its live-action remakes. Films like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Lilo + Stitch each earned over $1 billion globally, while Snow White and now Moana have struggled to match those heights. Dergarabedian noted that PG-rated films have outperformed other categories in 2024 and 2025, suggesting that Moana's performance may indicate a ceiling for family films rather than genre fatigue.
Industry Context
The total domestic box office for the year stands at just under $5.2 billion, up 10.7% from the same point last year. While May and June each generated over $1 billion in North America, July has seen a string of underperformers, including Supergirl. Dergarabedian expressed optimism for August, with the release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day. "They could power a stronger August than July at the box office, which would be very unusual," he said.
