Disney's Live-Action Remake Struggles in Opening

Key Points:

• Disney's live-action Moana, starring Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia, opened with approximately $18 million on Friday and is projected to earn around $45 million over the weekend, falling short of its $60 million-plus target and initial $75 million tracking estimates.
• The film, directed by Thomas Kail, has a $250 million production budget and received an A- CinemaScore, but faces strong family audience competition this summer, including Christopher Nolan’s R-rated The Odyssey releasing next weekend.
• This opening mirrors the underwhelming debut of Disney’s 2025 live-action Snow White, which led to a pause in Tangled’s development; however, Tangled is now back in production, and a live-action Lilo & Stitch sequel is underway following that film’s 2025 box office success.
• The original 2016 animated Moana and its 2024 sequel were major hits, with the latter surpassing $1 billion globally, but the live-action remake currently holds a low 34% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite some positive reviews.
• Other wide releases include Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Burn with $6.7 million, Universal’s Minions & Monsters aiming for second place with $21 million this weekend, Disney’s Toy Story 5 continuing strong with $5.6 million Friday, and Angel Studios’ Young Washington earning $2.1 million in its second weekend.