Disney brushes off live-action Moana flopping in theaters

If you blinked, you might have missed it — the live-action Moana film, which Disney shoved into cinemas last month, has more or less belly-flopped at the box office. Yet, surprisingly, Disney higher-ups seem thoroughly unbothered by the poor showing. It’s almost as if they were expecting it all along, or perhaps they’re just hoping streaming will save the day. Let’s pick through the details.

The Numbers (and Ouch)

First off, let’s talk about how much Disney spent and what they got back. The new Moana wasn’t cheap — the word is, its production cost hovered around $250 million. As of now, it’s taken in just $262 million worldwide. In big studio maths, that’s not a win, especially with all the marketing on top. The film is currently on track to lose roughly $100 million just from its time in cinemas, give or take whatever they can scrape back from home releases.

Moana’s live-action remake cost about $250 million and only just crept past $260 million at the global box office.

It’s actually been on the cards for a while — early box office forecasts were unusually pessimistic, with opening weekend numbers sliding from an optimistic $80-105 million down to a rather anaemic $45-60 million in the United States. No amount of Dwayne Johnson star power, apparently, could budge those numbers upwards.

Disney’s Poker Face

Which brings us to Disney’s response. During a recent earnings chat — the sort where they usually try to keep good news front and centre — Josh D’Amaro (the company’s CEO) didn’t bother sugar-coating things. According to Variety, he openly acknowledged the film’s failure to connect in cinemas. But, and here’s the twist, he seemed genuinely upbeat about its next chapter — the one where people watch it at home on Disney+.

Here’s how D’Amaro pitched the gamble to investors, resisting any hint of panic:

The live-action Moana is expected to be a strong title on Disney+, building on the success of the original film, which is one of the most-streamed movies of all time.

It’s hard not to think that the streaming plan was always the real bet here. After all, the original animated Moana is a mainstay on streaming charts, so maybe Disney’s just counting on fans being in less of a hurry to see a new version on the big screen.

Who Showed Up?

Dwayne Johnson reprised his demi-godly ways as Maui, but the titular Moana for this go-around was played by Catherine Laga’aia. The rest of the main line-up included Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, John Tui, and Jemaine Clement. Frankly, you could have put A-list talent on every surfboard; it probably wouldn’t have changed the week-one totals much.

Animated Moana Lives On

If you’re worried this wobble might doom the Moana universe, don’t be. The original animated strand is still Disney’s golden goose. In fact, Dwayne Johnson himself recently confirmed to the media that Moana 3 (the animated one) is in the works, with Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller returning to write it. Disney, it seems, will keep riding those ocean waves with or without a live-action lifeline.

• The live-action Moana is still available in cinemas (just about).
• No word yet on when it’ll actually turn up on Disney+.