“Moana,” the third installment in the series, was the top-grossing film this weekend, earning $95 million worldwide—a figure that fell short of expectations for a Disney production.
The film, a live-action remake of the franchise, grossed $43 million this weekend in the United States and Canada, and $52 million in other markets. The project has a budget of $250 million—not including the advertising campaign—according to Variety.
According to experts interviewed by that trade publication, the fact that this film’s release was so close to the latest installment of the original series may have hurt the remake. In addition, the film’s release coincides with other titles aimed at the same audience, such as “Toy Story 5” and “Minions & Monsters,” which may have limited its ability to stand out at the box office.
The 2016 animated film was a hit with both critics and audiences, grossing more than $643 million worldwide. The second installment, released in 2024, grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
“Moana” is Disney’s worst-performing live-action film
Although it hasn’t received good reviews from critics—it has a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—audiences have given it an A- rating on CinemaScore. The film is directed by Thomas Kail and stars Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui.
Meanwhile, “Michael,” the biopic about the pop star, surpassed 1 billion in worldwide box office receipts this weekend. It is the second film to reach this milestone after “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
“Minions & Monsters” remains among the top-grossing films, with worldwide box office receipts of $280 million, $108 million of which came from the United States and North America.
“Toy Story 5” is following in the footsteps of the highest-grossing films and, after four weeks in theaters, has reached $879 million in worldwide box office receipts, while the horror film “Evil Dead Burn” opened with $40 million in worldwide box office receipts, according to Agencia EFE.
