Why Disney's Live-Action Moana Remake Bombed At The Box Office

You could argue that Disney's live-action remakes are little more than soulless cash grabs, so what happens when one fails to grab much cash? 2026's "Moana" made just $43 million domestically in its opening weekend and only an extra $52 million in international markets. It's shaky territory for a film with a $250 million price tag, so what went wrong? You can watch our breakdown video above to get all the answers, but here's a quick breakdown. 

First, we have to talk about that budget. Any movie that costs $250 million to make is going to face an upward battle recouping its costs. Critics didn't hold back during the first round of reactions to "Moana," which certainly didn't help matters. The fact is that every live-action Disney remake has the same problem in that they're overly reliant on CGI, and in the case of "Moana," there's some very obvious green screen on display. That wouldn't necessarily be an issue if it looked good, but it doesn't, so you have to wonder where the money went. The answer is probably Dwayne Johnson's wallet.

On top of all that, the live-action "Moana" is basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original (Disney's live-action remakes tend to follow this blueprint), so why would people go to the cinema to see it when they can watch the animated version on Disney+? Yes, there's the novelty of seeing Johnson play the demigod Maui in person, but the original film has way more spirit and looks a hundred times better — the original "Moana" only came out in 2016 so it's not even like the animation looks dated. In fact, it still looks great, so taking in Moana's tale in a dull, live-action setting feels redundant. 

It's possible the live-action "Moana" would have fared better with a different release date. 2016's "Moana" came out in November, taking advantage of families having more free time around the Thanksgiving holiday. The summer season always has more competition, and there's been ample family films for people to enjoy in 2026. Notably, "Toy Story 5" and "Minions & Monsters" each came out only a few weeks prior to "Moana." Looper's review of "Toy Story 5" called it "uneven but charming," which is a lot more than you can say about "Moana." Even "Minions & Monsters" received surprisingly great reviews, going Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so families haven't been short on child-friendly entertainment.

Then there's the lingering question of whether or not audiences at large are starting to reject these live-action remakes. 2025's "Snow White" famously flopped big time. That being said, the live-action "Lilo & Stitch" made over $1 billion that same year. The difference is that "Lilo & Stitch" had 23 years to rack up nostalgia. "Moana" only came out 10 years ago. Plus, the animated sequel "Moana 2" dominated theaters in 2024 with a box office haul exceeding $1 billion. It's hard to pin down the exact reasons for this misfire, but maybe Disney will think twice before greenlighting another live-action remake given it's on course to make huge losses with "Moana." For more in-depth analysis on the Mouse House's latest live-action catastrophe, check out Looper's video above.