Moana’s Box Office Performance
The Walt Disney Company’s live-action remake of Moana may have secured the top spot at the North American box office, but its opening weekend results were modest. The film, which reportedly cost $250 million (£187 million, A$360 million) to produce, earned $43 million in ticket sales across the US and Canada, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
Internationally, Moana generated $52 million from 50 markets, bringing its global debut to $95 million (£71 million, A$137 million).
Franchise Context and Expectations
Disney placed significant expectations on Moana, one of its most popular franchises. The original 2016 animated film is the most-watched movie on Disney+. Its sequel, which was adapted from a planned streaming series, grossed over $1 billion and set a Thanksgiving record with a $225 million opening in 2024.
This latest live-action version, directed by Thomas Kail, features Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui and introduces Australian actor Catherine Lagaʻaia as the adventurous Polynesian princess. While Lagaʻaia received praise, the film faced largely negative reviews from critics, who criticized it for being essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original.
Moana currently holds a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience reactions were comparatively more positive, with 66% of viewers being women. According to PostTrak, 63% of attendees said they would “definitely” recommend the film to friends, and parental recommendations were even higher at 78%. The movie also earned an A- CinemaScore.
Live-Action Remakes: Successes and Challenges
Disney’s live-action remakes of beloved animated films have experienced mixed results. Several have surpassed $1 billion in box office revenue, including Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. However, others have underperformed, notably last year’s Snow White, which grossed only $205 million worldwide. Moana opened with figures similar to Snow White, which earned $42.2 million domestically and $87 million globally during its opening weekend.
Market Competition and Audience Saturation
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, suggested that Moana’s debut may reflect an oversaturation of PG-rated films in the market. Universal’s Migration took second place with $20.5 million, followed closely by Transformers: Rise of the Beasts with $18.5 million, contributing to a global total of $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.”
He noted that PG-rated films have outperformed other genres in 2024 and 2025, so Moana’s performance may not indicate “family movie fatigue” but rather a limit on audience capacity. Families must choose among multiple options, and after four weekends, Toy Story 5 continues to perform strongly.
There are also indications that the success of these films may not depend solely on opening weekend results. For example, Minions & Monsters opened below expectations over the Fourth of July holiday but experienced a modest 45% drop the following weekend, with a domestic total of $108.3 million.
Box Office Trends and Outlook
The total domestic box office for 2024 currently stands just under $5.2 billion, representing a 10.7% increase compared to the same point last year. Both May and June were strong months, each generating over $1 billion in North America. However, July has faced challenges with several underperforming releases, including Supergirl.
Dergarabedian anticipates improvement in the coming weeks with the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day the subsequent weekend.
“They could power a stronger August than July at the box office, which would be very unusual,” Dergarabedian said.
