Topline<\/p>\n
Disney\u2019s live action \u201cMoana\u201d adaptation grossed only $43 million over its opening weekend, according to early figures reported by the Hollywood<\/a> trade publications<\/a>, coming in under expert projections and far behind the record-smashing success of \u201cMoana 2,\u201d the most recent animated film in the franchise.<\/p>\n The new adaptation has a long way to go to recoup its reported $250 million budget.<\/p>\n Variety via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n \u201cMoana\u201d grossed about $43 million at North American theaters since Friday, coming in just under Boxoffice Pro projections<\/a> of a $45 million-$55 million opening weekend.<\/p>\n The film also underperformed internationally, grossing an estimated $52 million in overseas markets for only $95 million total.<\/p>\n That means the new remake has a long way to go to recoup its budget\u2014\u201cMoana\u201d reportedly had a production budget of $250 million before marketing, Variety<\/a> reported, and theaters typically keep about half of ticket sales.<\/p>\n The opening weekend is one of the worst for Disney live action remakes\u2014a disappointing followup after the \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d remake in 2025 opened with $146 million to eventually gross over $1 billion globally.<\/p>\n Although it retained Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson in his starring role as the demigod Maui, it performed significantly worse than \u201cMoana 2,\u201d which broke some of Disney\u2019s Thanksgiving weekend records<\/a> in 2024, grossing $139.7 million over the traditional weekend and $225 million over the full five-day weekend.<\/p>\n Even the first animated \u201cMoana\u201d was a bigger hit on opening weekend, grossing an estimated $56.6 million in 2016.<\/p>\n Children\u2019s Features Dominate Another Weekend<\/p>\n Ticket sales were dominated by children\u2019s movies this weekend. Despite getting off to a rocky start<\/a> last weekend, \u201cMinions & Monsters,\u201d Universal\u2019s most recent addition to its \u201cDespicable Me\u201d franchise, came in second place with another $20.5 million this weekend. \u201cToy Story 5\u201d continued its strong run in theaters with another $18.5 million for total gross in North American theaters of $403.7 million.<\/p>\n What to Watch For<\/p>\n Although July has been marked by box office disappointments so far, movie buffs are excited for several big debuts in the second half of the month. Christopher Nolan\u2019s highly anticipated<\/a> \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d adaptation hits theaters next weekend. Experts at Boxoffice Pro<\/a> are anticipating a massive $100 million-$120 million opening for the adaptation of the ancient Greek classic, outpacing Nolan\u2019s \u201cOppenheimer\u201d opening ($82.4 million in 2023), but not quite reaching the phenomenon levels of \u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d and \u201cThe Dark Knight Rises\u201d ($158.4 million and $160.8 million, respectively).<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n