Well, this isn't welcome news for Disney. The live-action Moana remake, starring Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson, has sunk to new depths at the box office.
Moana has taken $95 million worldwide, with Deadline reporting that it's now on track to lose over $100 million – if it reaches $250 million total.
Whichever way you spin it, 2026's Moana is a near-historic low for Disney's band of live-action remakes.
Its $43 million takings at the US domestic box office pales in comparison to The Lion King ($191 million), Beauty and the Beast ($174 million), and Aladdin ($91 million).
In fact, Moana only 'stacks up' to the much-maligned remake of Snow White, which also accrued $43 million on opening weekend. It's doing slightly better on the global front, however.
Whether audiences are tiring of remakes or not is unclear. After all, we're just a year removed from the Lilo and Stitch remake grossing over a billion dollars. Perhaps its proximity to Moana 2 – which audiences were far cooler on than the animated original – may not have helped matters.
The live action remake's trailers , too, lacked some of the color and charm that fans would come to expect from the franchise.
Maybe we should have seen it coming. Early responses to Dwayne Johnson's Maui wig weren't pretty, neither were the tepid first Moana reactions – which were far from shiny.
Disney isn't stopping live-action remakes anytime soon, though. While the Hercules remake hasn't moved in some time, a Tangled remake is in the works. A live-action Lilo and Stitch sequel has also been greenlit.
For more, check out the new Disney movies currently in various states of production.
