Disney’s Live-Action ‘Moana’ Just Had a Much Rougher Opening Day Than Anyone Predicted

Disney’s live-action remake strategy has produced wildly different outcomes over the past few years, swinging from billion-dollar hits to some of the studio’s most embarrassing box office misfires in recent memory.

That volatility set the stage for a tense opening weekend for the studio’s latest attempt to reimagine one of its most beloved modern animated franchises.

The film had been tracking for a domestic weekend start between 60 million and 65 million dollars, a figure already dialed back from earlier projections suggesting the movie could reach as high as 75 million dollars.

Disney had reason to hope the film could follow the billion-dollar path carved out by hits like The Lion King, Aladdin, and last year’s Lilo and Stitch rather than the disappointing runs of The Little Mermaid or the outright bomb that was Snow White.

Those hopes took a serious hit on Friday. Global Box Office reported that the live-action ‘Moana‘ remake bombed harder than expected, officially making 13.9 million dollars on Friday, including 4.5 million dollars in Thursday previews, with the account noting that the widely reported 60 million dollar plus projections had long been unrealistic and predicting the film would barely clear 40 million dollars for the weekend.

Deadline’s own afternoon estimates confirmed a similarly grim picture, placing Friday previews and first day business around 17 million dollars, with a three-day total landing between 40 million and 45 million dollars, putting the film roughly in line with the infamous Snow White opening from the previous year. Presales heading into the weekend sat at just 4 million dollars, a discouraging sign that left the film’s fate resting largely on Saturday walk-up business.

Critics have not been kind either, with the film currently sitting at just 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a score that falls below even Snow White’s 39 percent rating. Reviewers specifically panned Thomas Kail’s direction, giving the remake a rating of 35 percent well below the scores for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Dumbo.

The struggles carry real financial weight given the film’s 250 million dollar production budget, a jump from the 175 million dollars spent on the original 2016 animated film. That original went on to earn 642 million dollars globally, while the 2024 animated sequel Moana 2 set a Thanksgiving weekend record with a 225.4 million dollar five-day opening and eventually crossed a billion dollars worldwide.

Industry watchers have pointed to franchise fatigue as a likely culprit, since this live-action version arrives barely two years after Moana 2 already delivered a billion-dollar theatrical run built on the brand’s massive Disney+ streaming popularity. The remake stars Catherine Laga’aia in the title role alongside Dwayne Johnson reprising his voice role from the animated films as Maui, this time in live action.

With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Sony’s Spider-Man Brand New Day both looming on the release calendar in the coming weeks, Moana was positioned as the only fresh family option left standing before that one-two punch hits theaters. Whether the film can lean on strong word of mouth to recover from this weekend’s soft start remains to be seen, but for now it looks like Disney’s latest live-action bet is off to a much choppier start than the studio was hoping for.

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