AceShowbiz - Disney’s live-action remake of Moana launched to a global box office of $95 million during its opening weekend. The film garnered $43 million domestically from 3,827 theaters across North America, while international markets contributed $52 million to the total.

Despite a strong promotional push, the live-action adaptation fell short of Disney’s pre-release projections, which had estimated a domestic opening between $60 million and $65 million and a worldwide total near $140 million. With a reported production budget of $250 million, excluding marketing expenses, and an additional $145 million spent on global advertising, industry analysts anticipate the film may face theatrical losses ranging from $100 million to $125 million. This opening marks one of Disney’s weakest live-action remake debuts, drawing comparisons to the $42 million launch of Snow White’s remake.

The Moana remake follows the 2016 animated original, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The original film, which features voices from Auli'i Cravalho, The Rock, and others, remains the highest-rated entry in the franchise with a 95% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned over $1 billion worldwide. The live-action version, which stars Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and features The Rock reprising his role as Maui, has received mixed reviews, holding a 33-35% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised Laga’aia’s performance but criticized the film’s visuals and close adherence to the original’s scenes, with some finding The Rock’s portrayal of Maui awkward.

The remake’s financial and critical reception highlights the challenges Disney faces in recreating beloved animated classics for the live-action format, especially when the original remains fresh in audiences’ memories. The quick turnaround between the original and this remake appears to have contributed to the modest turnout, underscoring the difficulty of balancing nostalgia with innovation in the competitive theatrical market.