Disney’s live-action remake of Moana tanked at the box office, achieving only $43 million domestically and $95 million globally compared to the $60 million/$140 million projected by Disney. There is no shortage of explanations why the movie is bombing, ranging from a script that repeats the 2016 original almost scene for scene to a release date that landed less than two years after Moana 2.

Moana’s failure also casts a question on why audiences even find live-action remakes appealing since by their nature they are unnecessary. Universal and Disney both released successful live-action remakes in 2025, How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, respectively.

Disney’s Moana is currently set to lose $100 million to $125 million. The difference between a live-action remake that makes money and one that bombs comes down to whether the movie gives audiences a reason to pay for a ticket to see a story many of them can already watch for free by streaming the animated original at home.

Dissecting The ‘Moana’ Debacle

Critics were not kind to Moana. The film settled at a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences who bought tickets saw the movie differently. Moana earned an A- CinemaScore, with women grading it a straight A and viewers under 18 handing out an A . On Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, the film reached a 90% approval rating from verified ticket buyers, edging out the original animated film’s own audience score. Those numbers describe a movie that connected with the people who watched it.

The audience skewed 66% female, and 56% identified as parents attending with children. Women over 25 gave the film a 78%........

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