Disney's Live-Action Moana WasheD Out Its Opening Weekend

Another miscalculation from the House of Mouse that's going to cost the company millions.

A live-action adaptation of one of the most beloved modern Disney movies, featuring one of the original voice actors, following virtually an identical script, should be a slam-dunk success at the box office, one would think. It turns out, however, that in the hands of Disney, even a surefire thing can become anything but. Case in point, Moana, which opened in theaters around the world this past weekend, stumbled out of the gates with a meager $43 million domestic haul and $52 million internationally, bringing the total box office to $95 million.

Moana's budget is estimated to be around $250 million, which doesn't include marketing spend, so the film has a long ways to go before it breaks even, let alone sees a profit. So, what the heck happened? In fairness to Disney, the approach to Moana is more or less, on paper, what fans would want from a live-action remake of an animated classic. Authentic casting and adherence to the original story are two major boxes to check off, and Moana 2026 did exactly that. However, in the case of this film, there are a handful of flies doing the backstroke in the ointment that can't be overlooked. This includes...

• It's Way Too Soon for a Moana Remake: The original animation is like a decade old. Fans generally aren't clamoring for these live-action remakes to begin with, but one so (relatively) soon after the original makes zero sense. A lot of kids who saw the first Moana are still kids, for crying out loud.

• The Rock is Getting Old: As cool as the idea of having Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson reprise his role as Maui might be, it's years too late for it to work. For one thing, Maui in the animation doesn't exactly look like The Rock even at his peak; the character is a mixture of muscle and blubber that, Johnson's Polynesian heritage notwithstanding, isn't reflective of the man's actual body, to say nothing of his face. Were Johnson younger, this casting might have had a chance, but unfortunately, it's years too late. Throw in the fact that Johnson has lost considerable muscle mass in recent years, thus further necessitating a bodysuit, plus a more gaunt face, and this version of Maui exploded before takeoff. The suit looked fake, the Rock's head looked old, and the wig, well, it looked like a wig.

• A Lesser Lead: Filling the shoes of original Moana actress Auliʻi Cravalho is newcomer Catherine Laga'aia. And you know what, bless her, she looks the part and isn't a bad singer. The problem is that despite her best efforts, Laga'aia just isn't at the same level as Cravalho. Cravalho's singing, in particular, really helped to propel Moana into the stratosphere of popularity that that film occupied. Speaking of music...

• Inferior Tunes and Visuals: Although Moana 2026 mirrors Moana 2016 in many shots and much of the music, the live-action take lacks the magic of the original. The visuals are darker, and bizarrely over dependent on CGI (how hard is it to find a tropical beach to shoot on?). Where the original Moana had the immersion level cranked up to 11, Moana 2026 is constantly distracting with a Frankenstein monster version of Maui and volume-produced sand and waves that are clearly not the real deal. Perhaps more sinful for diehard Moana fans is that the musical performances don't stack up to the ones from ten years ago; if Disney couldn't match or exceed what came before, why bother?

Sadly, because Hollywood is what it is, the odds are high that Disney will take the wrong lesson from the failure of Moana. It isn't woke, it isn't pandering, and it isn't "too much like the original"; Moana 2026 merely was released at the wrong time, steeped in needless CGI, and lacking the charm of the original. Now, Disney is staring down the barrel of another multimillion dollar loss in a year packed with disappointments. Will Moana rebound in the coming weeks? We'll keep an eye on things and let you all know.

Source: Deadline