‘Moana’ Makes Underwhelming Splash at Box Office With $43 Million Opening
Categoria: Musica
The Disney live-action film cost a reported $250 million to produce.
Por Billboard | 12/07/2026
The Walt Disney Company’s live-action Moana may be the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office, but it did not make a big splash in its first weekend in theaters. Related Opetaia Foa‘i Calls Adding ‘Authenticity’ to ‘Moana’ Through Pacific Island Languages ‘A Huge Win’ Squishmallows' 'KPop Demon Hunters' Collection Features 4 Fan-Favorite Characters in Plushie Form Taylor Swift Joins Travis Kelce at His Former Teammate's Wedding One Week After Their Own The movie, which cost a reported $250 million to produce, earned just $43 million from ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday (July 12). Internationally, it earned $52 million from 50 markets, adding up to a $95 million global debut. The studio bet big on Moana , one of its most popular franchises. The 2016 animated film is the most watched movie on Disney+. Its sequel, which was stitched together from a planned streaming series, made over $1 billion and scored a Thanksgiving record when it opened with $225 million in 2024. Moana 2 was also released just 19 months ago. This latest Moana , directed by Thomas Kail, brings Dwayne Johnson back as the demigod Maui and introduces Catherine Lagaʻaia as the adventuring Polynesian princess. Despite praise for Lagaʻaia, the film set sail on a wave of dismal reviews from critics for being essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original. It’s currently sitting at a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, the majority of whom were women (66%), were less negative: According to PostTrak, 63% said they would “definitely” recommend the film to their friends. Parent reactions were even stronger, with 78% saying they would recommend it to other parents. It also got a promising A- CinemaScore. Disney’s live action remakes of beloved animated films, new and old, have had their share of successes and disappointments. Some have made over $1 billion, including Lilo & Stitch , The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast . Others have floundered, most notably last year’s Snow White , which made only $205 million worldwide. Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, said Moana ’s debut could also be a product of PG-rated oversaturation in the marketplace: Universal’s Minions & Monsters was in second place with $20.5 million, and Toy Story 5 was close behind in third place with $18.5 million. “Families love going to the movies, but right now there are three of them,” Dergarabedian said. “That’s a lot of competition.” PG-rated films outgrossed others in 2024 and 2025, so Moana ’s performance may not be a case of “family movie fatigue,” he said, but simply shows there can be a ceiling. Families have to make a choice, and after four weekends, Toy Story 5 is still going strong with a running global total of $879.1 million. There also are signs that these movies might not sink or swim based on the opening weekend alone. Although Minions & Monsters opened below