‘Moana’ Opens to $18 Million Friday as Disney’s Live-Action Remake Faces a Softer-Than-Expected Start

Entertainment NewsBox OfficeFilmNew ReleasesTheatrical ReleasesNew MovieMoviesDistributionBusinessIndustryDisneyStudiosA24

Jul 11

Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ led the Friday box office, but its projected $45 million weekend debut is tracking below the 2016 animated original.

Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ sailed to No. 1 on Friday, but the opening day was not the tidal wave the studio was likely hoping for.

The remake earned $18 million from 3,875 North American theaters on Friday, putting it on track for an estimated $45 million opening weekend. That would place the film below the $56 million domestic debut of the original animated ‘Moana’ in 2016, despite the new version carrying a much larger price tag.

Disney reportedly spent $250 million on the live-action ‘Moana,’ compared with the $175 million production budget for the animated film. That means the remake will need strong legs in theaters, along with major international support, to justify the cost.

The opening is especially notable because ‘Moana’ has become one of Disney’s most reliable modern properties. The 2016 film finished its theatrical run with $642 million worldwide and later became one of the most-watched titles on Disney+. ‘Moana 2,’ which was reworked from a planned streaming series, opened to a Thanksgiving record of $225 million and eventually crossed $1 billion worldwide.

That history made the live-action remake seem like one of Disney’s safer bets. Instead, the Friday numbers suggest another complicated result for the studio’s live-action remake strategy.

Disney’s earlier remake boom produced massive hits, including ‘The Jungle Book,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Lion King.’ More recent efforts have been far less consistent. ‘The Little Mermaid’ grossed $569 million worldwide in 2023, while ‘Snow White’ reached only $205 million in 2025. ‘Lilo & Stitch’ crossed $1 billion after its May 2025 release, but that success increasingly looks like the exception rather than the rule.

The softer-than-expected ‘Moana’ launch may point to ongoing audience fatigue with remakes, especially when the original animated film remains recent, beloved and widely available. Even strong brand recognition can only go so far when audiences feel they have already taken the journey.

Like the 2016 original, the new ‘Moana’ follows a young Polynesian girl who leaves her island home to stop the spread of an ancient curse. Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as Maui, while Catherine Laga’aia stars in the title role. The cast also includes John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen and Jemaine Clement. Thomas Kail, who directed the filmed version of ‘Hamilton’ for Disney, helms the remake.

Friday also brought two other major newcomers into theaters. Warner Bros.’ ‘Evil Dead Burn’ opened in second place with $6.7 million from 3,004 domestic screens and is expected to earn around $15 million for the weekend. That is below the $25 million debut of 2023’s ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ though the horror franchise’s relatively low production costs should help soften the landing.

‘Evil Dead Burn’ follows a recent widow who moves in with her in-laws, only for the family to become deadites. The film stars Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand, Greta van den Brink and Tandi Wright. Sébastien Vanicek directs and co-wrote the script with Florent Bernard and franchise creator Sam Raimi.

POPULAR ON THE CINEMA GROUP

Universal’s ‘Minions & Monsters’ landed in third place on Friday with $6.5 million as it headed into its second weekend. The animated sequel is projected to earn around $21 million through Sunday, a 43 percent decline from its $61 million debut. Its domestic total is expected to reach about $108 million by the end of the weekend.

‘Toy Story 5’ followed in fourth with $5.7 million on Friday. The Pixar sequel is expected to bring in around $18 million for the weekend, pushing its domestic total to roughly $403 million after four weekends. The film remains on track to cross $1 billion worldwide and could eventually overtake ‘Toy Story 4’ as the highest-grossing entry in the franchise.

A24’s ‘The Invite’ rounded out the top five with $2.4 million on Friday in its first weekend of wide release. That is a promising start for the $12 million film, which premiered at Sundance. Directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, ‘The Invite’ follows a couple on the brink of divorce who invite their free-spirited upstairs neighbors to dinner. Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton also star.

For now, the weekend belongs to ‘Moana,’ but the bigger question is whether the film can hold. A $45 million opening is not disastrous, but for a $250 million Disney remake of one of the studio’s most popular modern animated films, it is not exactly cause for celebration either.

If ‘Moana’ plays strongly with families in the weeks ahead, it could still recover. But its opening day suggests that even Disney’s most recognizable recent animated hits are no longer guaranteed to deliver blockbuster live-action returns.