Disney's live-action Moana crashes to shore with an underwhelming splash at the box office
Disney's live-action remake of Moana debuted with a disappointing $95 million global box office performance. Despite positive audience scores, the film faced harsh critical reviews for being too similar to the original animated version.
Why it matters
The film's underperformance raises questions about the viability of Disney's strategy of producing shot-for-shot live-action remakes of recent animated hits.
This latest Moana brings Dwayne Johnson back as the demigod Maui and introduces Catherine Lagaʻaia as the adventuring Polynesian princess. Despite praise for Lagaʻaia, the film set sail on a wave of dismal reviews from critics for being essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original.
This image released by Disney shows Dwayne Johnson as Maui in a scene from Moana. (Disney via AP)
The Walt Disney Company’s live action Moana may be the No. 1 movie at the North American box office, but it did not make a big splash in its first weekend in theatres.
The movie, which cost a reported US$250 million (S$323.1 million) to produce, earned just US$43 million from ticket sales in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday (Jul 12).
Internationally, it earned US$52 million from 50 markets, adding up to a US$95 million global debut.
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