Disney Tries to Justify Live-Action Moana Flop, Says It Was an 'Excellent Film' Hit by 'Unusual Circumstances'
Disney executive Dana Walden attributed the poor box office performance of the live-action 'Moana' to market saturation and the proximity of the animated 'Moana 2' release. Critics, however, point to the film's low quality and poor reception as primary factors for its failure.
Why it matters
This highlights the challenges major studios face in managing intellectual property and release schedules in a highly competitive streaming and theatrical market.
Disney president Dana Walden has blamed "unusual circumstances" for the live-action Moana movie's disappointing box office, and defended the project as an otherwise "excellent film."
Speaking this week at the Bloomberg Screentime event (via Variety ), Walden framed Moana's poor performance as a result of the movie industry being competitive, and the film simply launching at the wrong time.
"It's so competitive right now that you have to have... the right film at the right time, with audiences feeling a certain degree of demand," Walden stated. "I would say our live-action Moana, which is excellent, I think it was hurt by the proximity to our second animated version of Moana, which came together under unusual circumstances, but premiered about 18 months before this one."
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