Live-Action “Moana” Disappoints With $43 Million Debut
When you spend $250 million to remake a beloved animated original, you’re hoping for at $140 million for an opening weekend. Disney’s live-action Moana didn’t even come CLOSE only earning just $43 million domestically. It’s one of the studio’s lowest remake debuts on record. It took in another $52 million internationally, totaling $95 million globally. It doesn’t help it scored only 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences rated it an “A-” CinemaScore. Virtually every early review basically said the original was better and it just felt like a “money grab.”
Disney can still hang its hat on Toy Story 5, which pulled in another $18.5 million in its fourth week for #3 at the box office bringing its total to $879 million globally. Minions and Monsters claimed second place with $20.5 million, while Evil Dead Burn debuted fourth with $13.7 million, and Young Washington rounded out the top five with $6.4 million.