Studios typically split ticket revenue about 50-50 with theater owners, meaning \u201cMoana\u201d will have to earn at least $650 million to break even, according to Variety<\/a>. <\/p>\n With just $43 million in ticket sales, the film only narrowly surpassed the abysmal start<\/a> for \u201cSnow White\u201d last year. But unlike the controversy-shrouded<\/a> \u201cSnow White,\u201d this \u201cMoana\u201d adaptation arrived quietly, without major backlash. <\/p>\n The film also avoided significant creative changes \u2014 a riskier approach taken by the recent live-action \u201cLilo & Stitch,\u201d which made a record-breaking<\/a> debut with more than $145 million in domestic ticket sales. <\/p>\n \u201cDisney invented this live-action phenomenon based on their animated films, and they\u2019ve had remarkable success with them,\u201d box-office analyst David Gross said in his newsletter FranchiseRe<\/a>. \u201cBut this opening isn\u2019t close to Disney\u2019s past remakes.\u201d <\/p>\n In the late 1990s, Disney turned to live-action reimaginings as a risk-averse box office strategy built on nostalgia for animated favorites. The formula has generally worked, with many releases surpassing or approaching the $100 million mark during their opening weekends. <\/p>\n In recent years, Disney has accelerated the formula, churning out a new live-action remake nearly every year. Since 2010, the studio has adapted \u201cSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,\u201d \u201cCinderella,\u201d \u201cAlice in Wonderland,\u201d \u201cDumbo,\u201d \u201cThe Lion King,\u201d \u201cAladdin,\u201d \u201cLady and the Tramp,\u201d \u201cMulan,\u201d \u201cPinocchio,\u201d \u201cThe Jungle Book,\u201d \u201cPeter Pan,\u201d \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d and \u201cLilo & Stitch.\u201d<\/p>\n But the formula is proving less reliable \u2014 and potentially more costly. So, where did the live-action \u201cMoana\u201d go wrong?<\/p>\n A \u2018Moana\u2019 overload <\/p>\n It\u2019s been less than two years since Disney released \u201cMoana 2,\u201d and just under a decade since \u201cMoana\u201d debuted. <\/p>\n Disney might be giving audiences too much \u201cMoana\u201d too soon. The franchise has been hugely successful \u2014 the original animated film is the most-watched movie on Disney+ and its sequel earned $1 billion<\/a> at the box office \u2014 but moviegoers haven\u2019t been given enough time to miss Motunui. <\/p>\n On average, Disney waits 27 years before adapting one of its animated movies into a live-action reimagining, according to Gross.<\/p>\n \u201cThe takeaway for Disney has to be, how long does it take for an animated film to become a classic? As we just saw, it\u2019s not about how successful the last film in the series is,\u201d Gross said, per Variety<\/a>. \u201cIt takes time to be a classic, not just success.\u201d<\/p>\n Waiting out that decades-long gap before revisiting many of its animated classics allowed Disney to produce some of its highest-grossing hits, including 2017\u2019s \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d and 2019\u2019s \u201cThe Lion King\u201d and \u201cAladdin,\u201d all of which earned more than $1 billion worldwide. <\/p>\n It also allows a generation of fans who grew up with the late 1990s and early 2000s animated films to become parents themselves and bring their children to the live-action remakes. <\/p>\n \u201cDuring that time, the remakes added an entirely new audience,\u201d Gross said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very successful strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a crowded summer at the box office. <\/p>\n \u201cMoana\u201d has to compete with \u201cToy Story 5\u2033 and \u201cMinions & Monsters\u201d \u2014 both of which have already drawn huge crowds. <\/p>\n \u201cFamilies love going to the movies, but right now there are three of them,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, per The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of competition.\u201d<\/p>\n PG-rated films powered the box office in 2024<\/a> and 2025<\/a>, so it might not be a case of \u201cfamily movie fatigue,\u201d Dergarabedian said, but three family films competing at once could create oversaturation. <\/p>\n \u2018Moana\u2019 was blasted by critics<\/p>\n \u201cMoana\u201d earned overwhelmingly negative critics reviews, with many calling the film out as a blatant opportunity for Disney to fill its pockets. <\/p>\n The London Evening Standard<\/a> called the film a \u201ccashgrab as conspicuous as a giant, singing, treasure-hoarding crab,\u201d and the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> called the film \u201cweirdly soulless\u201d and a \u201cmoney grab.\u201d <\/p>\n Vulture<\/a> simply wrote, \u201cPlease stop\u201d and The Times U.K.<\/a> said the film, \u201cprovokes only an exquisite form of agony.\u201d <\/p>\n Plenty of films overcome poor reviews<\/a>, but few have had to go against the level of competition posed by \u201cToy Story 5\u2033 and \u201cMinions & Monsters.\u201d <\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing new about \u2018Moana\u2019 <\/p>\n The live-action \u201cMoana\u201d is nearly a copy-paste of the 2016 animated version, offering little fresh material to entice audiences. <\/p>\n \u201cThe new \u2018Moana\u2019 technically has a new screenplay,\u201d writes The New York Times<\/a>. \u201cYet you\u2019d be forgiven if you thought they\u2019d just recycled the old one: All the plot beats are the same, and so are many of the lines and jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n And The Wrap<\/a> wrote, \u201cIt\u2019s the Same Film, Disney Just Wants You to Pay for It Again.\u201d<\/p>\n Though safely controversy-free, \u201cMoana\u201d adds nothing new to the story and there is little incentive for audiences to revisit a film they have already seen recently. <\/p>\n \u2018Moana\u2019 box office might not be doomed <\/p>\n Despite its lackluster start, \u201cMoana\u201d could still benefit from a lengthy theatrical run and make up for its early losses. <\/p>\n \u201cMufasa: The Lion King\u201d suffered a weak debut of $35 million, and after a nearly three-month theatrical run, the movie raked in $253 million in total domestic ticket sales and currently sits as the second-highest earning movie of the year, per Box Office Mojo<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement, Disney called the weekend total \u201ca good start ahead of a full month of summer vacation play with families.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis release also builds on nearly a decade of Moana\u2019s growth as a franchise,\u201d Disney added.<\/p>\n Is it time for Disney to quit live-action remakes? <\/p>\n Maybe. But it probably won\u2019t. <\/p>\n \u201cDisney will keep making these. For every one that doesn\u2019t do well, there will be a \u2018Lilo & Stitch\u2019 that sets the world on fire,\u201d Dergarabedian told Variety<\/a>. \u201cThe studio just has to keep the budgets in line.\u201d<\/p>\n Audiences are not tired of remakes and sequels yet. Disney\u2019s \u201cToy Story 5\u2033 has grossed over $888 million <\/a>so far worldwide, while last year\u2019s \u201cZootopia 2\u2033 earned $1.86 billion<\/a> worldwide. <\/p>\n Disney might just need to rethink its formula. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/YNLO7PJIS5AWHP6RYVPTQP3R6A.jpg\")
This image released by Disney shows Dwayne Johnson as Maui in a scene from “Moana.” | Disney via Associated Press <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/EA74KBZBUZHBDK4SKUH6SOFPHY.jpg\")
This image released by Disney shows Catherine Laga’aia in a scene from “Moana.” | Disney via Associated Press <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/O5K77ULU7FHHPHWCQMMYHYME7Y.jpg\")
This image released by Disney shows Catherine Laga’aia in a scene from “Moana.” | Disney via Associated Press <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VPHXQBV7DVG4PHBYST3ONL2V2Q.jpg\")
This image released by Disney shows Catherine Laga’aia in a scene from “Moana.” | Disney via Associated Press A summer of heavy competition <\/p>\n