Disney's live-action remake of Moana claimed the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend, but its $43 million debut fell short of generating the expected blockbuster momentum.
The film, which cost $250 million to produce, added $52 million from 50 international markets, bringing its global opening to $95 million, according to studio estimates reported by The Guardian.
Mixed Reviews and Audience Response
Directed by Thomas Kail, the movie stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui and introduces Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana.
Critics were largely unimpressed, giving it a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes and describing it as a shot-for-shot copy of the original animated classic.
Audience reactions were more favorable. Women made up 66% of viewers, and PostTrak data showed 63% would definitely recommend the film.
Parental approval was higher, with 78% saying they would recommend it to other families, contributing to an A- CinemaScore.
Disney's live-action adaptations have a mixed track record.
Hits like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast crossed $1 billion, while last year's Snow White ended its run with $205 million globally after a $42.2 million domestic opening.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, attributed Moana's performance to an oversaturation of PG-rated films currently in theaters.
Universal's Minions & Monsters took second place with $20.5 million, and Toy Story 5 followed with $18.5 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its global total to $879.1 million.
"Families love going to the movies but right now there are three of them," Dergarabedian said. "That's a lot of competition."
He noted that PG-rated films have dominated box office earnings in 2024 and 2025, suggesting Moana's debut reflects a market ceiling rather than family movie fatigue.
Historical data shows family films often have long legs; Minions & Monsters dropped only 45% this weekend despite a soft opening, reaching $108.3 million domestically.
The total domestic box office for the year stands at nearly $5.2 billion, up 10.7% from the same period last year.
May and June each generated over $1 billion in North America, but July has struggled with underperformers like Supergirl.
Momentum is expected to pick up with the release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
"They could power a stronger August than July at the box office, which would be very unusual," Dergarabedian said.
