7/10-7/12: Disney’s MOANA Live-Action Remake Sails to First Place

Jul 12, 2026

Disney’s MOANA finished first its opening weekend with $41.0M in ticket sales in theatres across the U.S. and Canada. This was less than the industry had hoped for, especially after last weekend’s soft $37M opening of MINIONS & MONSTERS. Both of these movies had come with higher expectations.

It is important to note that the top three movies of the weekend, which includes TOY STORY 5 in third place, are all squarely focused on the family audience demographic. The last time that happened was on Thanksgiving weekend in 2010, when HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1, TANGLED, and MEGAMIND topped the domestic box office. That was 785 weeks ago!

The new movie in this weekend’s top 5 decidedly not focused on families is Warner Bros.’ horror film EVIL DEAD BURN, which produced $13.7M in its debut and came in fourth place. The total box office for all movies was $125.0M, well short of the same weekend last year when Warner Bros. and DC’s SUPERMAN opened with $125.0M all on its own and all films earned $201.2M.

The box office for the first two weekends of the third quarter has fallen short of last year’s matching weekends. This trend will need to be reversed if 2026 is to maintain the box office momentum created over the first six months of the year. Help should come swiftly, beginning with next weekend’s opening of Universal’s THE ODYSSEY. Advance ticket sales are booming, particularly for screenings in IMAX and PLF auditoriums, pointing towards the biggest opening weekend ever for a Nolan-directed film. Two weeks later on 7/31, Sony’s highly-anticipated SPIDER-MAN: BRAVE NEW WORLD arrives, which we expect to be the best opening of the year, and the top-grossing movie of 2026. Three weeks out, advance ticket sales are a strong indicator of success. To say that these two films are important is an understatement, but both seem to be up to the task.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS – 2026 vs. 2025

#1 – MOANA

Disney’s MOANA finished in first place this weekend, bringing in $41.0M domestically and $95.0M worldwide. MOANA represents Disney’s latest effort to morph a beloved animated feature into a live-action version. Disney first employed this strategy with THE JUNGLE BOOK (1994) and 101 DALMATIANS (1996), but the modern era of live-action remakes took flight with Tim Burton’s version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010). This movie’s enormous worldwide success, more than $1B, demonstrated that audiences were ready to embrace contemporary reinterpretations of beloved animated classics. That breakthrough fundamentally changed Disney’s theatrical strategy towards these coveted titles in its IP vault.

Between 2014 and 2019, Disney accelerated production. Live-action versions of MALEFICENT, CINDERELLA, THE JUNGLE BOOK, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING all became global hits, with several surpassing the $1B mark worldwide. Rather than simply recreating the originals, many of these films expanded mythology, modernized characters, or employed cutting-edge visual effects while retaining some of the songs and stories audiences already knew and loved. The strategy produced billions of dollars while introducing classic Disney characters to a new generation.

The two animated MOANA movies from 2016 and 2024 have been solid hits, as shown.

MOANA Franchise History

Even more than their box office success, intense interest in watching MOANA on Disney+ has been a pleasant surprise, with the 2016 original becoming one of the most-watched titles on the streaming service year after year. This interest helped Disney decide to create another animated version in MOANA 2 from 2024, which earned over $1 billion worldwide at the box office.

MOANA’s live-action movie was announced in April 2023 by Dwayne Johnson, who not only reprises his role as the demigod Maui but also serves as one of the film’s producers through Seven Bucks Productions. Unlike many Disney remakes that revisit films several decades old, this weekend’s MOANA arrives only ten years after the original, making it one of the shortest gaps between the original animated feature and its live-action adaptation.

Recent Animated to Live Action Timelines

Disney saw an opportunity in the timing of their live-action MOANA, benefitting from the extraordinary popularity of the animated originals on streaming and home entertainment.

Production emphasized cultural authenticity at every stage. Disney worked with Polynesian cultural advisors throughout development, while principal photography was conducted in Hawaii to capture authentic Pacific landscapes. Director Thomas Kail, best known for directing HAMILTON (2020), approached the project with the intention to honor the original. His background in live theater heavily influenced the film’s emphasis on practical performances, music, and emotional storytelling, while Industrial Light & Magic created extensive visual effects for the ocean, Maui’s magical abilities, and numerous fantasy creatures.

The screenplay closely follows the story told in the original animated film while expanding several character relationships and incorporating a new song by Lin-Manuel Miranda alongside returning music from Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i. Original voice actress Auliʻi Cravalho did not reprise the title role, instead serving as an executive producer. Disney conducted one of the largest talent searches in the studio’s recent history to find its new Moana. Rather than pursuing an established Hollywood actress, the filmmakers were determined to discover a young performer who could authentically embody the character’s Polynesian heritage, youthful spirit, and musical ability. According to Disney, more than 32,000 actresses from around the world submitted auditions before the field was gradually narrowed through multiple rounds of self-tapes, callbacks, chemistry tests, singing auditions, and screen tests. Catherine Laga’aia, a Sydney native of Samoan heritage, first auditioned at just 16 years old after her mother and agent encouraged her to respond to an open Disney casting call. Catherine advanced through the increasingly demanding rounds of auditions. After months of uncertainty and repeated callbacks, Disney finally informed her in early 2024 that she had been selected to play the new Moana.

The focus for the new MOANA is the adventurous daughter of the chief of Motunui, who is chosen by the ocean to restore the legendary heart of Te Fiti. Joined reluctantly by the boastful demigod Maui, Moana undertakes a dangerous voyage across the Pacific, encountering mythical creatures, enormous sea monsters, and ancient gods while discovering her own identity as a navigator and leader. Although the core narrative remains faithful to the 2016 film, several character interactions have been expanded, and a new original song has been added.

Critics have collectively panned the film, as it has only a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences like it a lot more, perhaps as much as Disney had hoped to see with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. The Financial Times felt, “If the original didn’t exist, it might have landed as spry and charming. Given it does, and at only a decade’s remove, this shot-for-shot redo instead feels superfluous even by the standards of Disney’s joyless remake factory.” The San Francisco Chronicle says, “The existence of a live-action version of ‘Moana’ is easy enough to explain — it’s a money grab. What’s a real head-scratcher is how it can feel so lifeless with real people as compared to the animated original.” Empire Magazine adds, “Where the original film felt vibrant and original, there seems to be no authorial voice detectable here. Even kids will feel shortchanged.” One of the kinder comments was made by The Film Verdict: “The best that can be said for Moana 2026 is that, for a movie that doesn’t particularly need to exist in the first place, it at least succeeds as entertainment.”

The film was very expensive to make, with an estimated production cost of $250M. This leaves the film a giant hurdle of $625M in worldwide ticket sales to get to profitability. After its opening weekend sales of $41.0M domestic and $95.0M worldwide, there is no chance that this will be accomplished. More importantly, this disappointment calls into question Disney’s animated-to-live-action strategy overall. For a comparison film, we are using MOANA 2, which had an opening domestic weekend of $139.8M. The live-action’s $41.0M is only 29% of MOANA 2’s.

MOANA (2026) vs. MOANA 2 (2024)

#2 – MINIONS & MONSTERS

MINIONS & MONSTERS from Universal fell from first to second place over its second weekend, bringing in $20.5M and dropping 45%. This brings the film’s 12 totals to $108.3M domestically and $280.0M globally. This weekend’s drop of 45% was not unexpected as Disney’s MOANA opened with appeal to a similar audience.

After the first five days of release, the MINIONS & MONSTERS had fallen behind its immediate franchise predecessor DESPICABLE ME 4 by 49%. After 12 days, that number has improved slightly to 52%. As of now, neither Universal nor Illumination has characterized MINIONS & MONSTERS as being either a triumph or disappointment. Studio comments have emphasized these positive factors:

The film opened #1 at the North American box office over the Independence Day holiday.
M&M generated approximately $61.4M over the five-day holiday frame and roughly $160M worldwide.
He movie is tapping into the franchise’s international strength, despite strong competition during the summer moviegoing season.

At the same time, industry trade publications have acknowledged what the studio has not emphasized: MINIONS & MONSTERS posted the lowest opening in the history of the DESPICABLE ME/MINIONS theatrical franchise. Nearly every major box-office analyst noted that while finishing first is significant, the debut fell well below previous installments in the series. Here is a case in which both the positive and negative views of the film’s box office performance are true.

The film will wind up profitable, in large part because only $85M was spent to produce the animated film. The concern from the industry is the deterioration in ticket sales from the last film in the franchise, DESPICABLE ME 4. Up until now, Universal and Illumination’s DESPICALBE ME/MINIONS films have been reliable performers of the first order. Whether to continue with new chapters in the future will be decided after thorough analysis of the steep and sudden drop-off of MINIONS & MONSTERS.

MINIONS & MONSTERS vs. DESPICABLE ME 4 after 12 Days

#3 – TOY STORY 5

TOY STORY 5 from Disney and Pixar finished in third place in its fourth weekend, taking in an additional $18.5M and falling 39%. This brings its 24-day totals to $403.8M domestically and $879.1M worldwide. The film continues to run ahead of TOY STORY 4, which had been the box office champ of the franchise. In a matter of days, TOY STORY 5 will pass TOY STORY 3’s domestic box office of $415.0M as it approaches TOY STORY’s 4 $434.0M.

This comes at a time when there are two other family-oriented films in the marketplace: MOANA and MINIONS & MONSTERS. Those two movies have not had the same success as TOY STORY 5, which is carrying impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores of 92% from critics and 95% from audiences.

By contract, MOANA has scores of 34% and 90%, while and MINIONS & MONSTERS sits at 91% and 76%. Disney was smart to release TOY STORY 5 on 6/19, which made it the first of these three major studio releases for families. It also allowed TOY STORY 5 to take advantage of the free time many potential moviegoers enjoyed over the July 4^th holiday weekend. However, they misread the marketplace with their release of MOANA this weekend, making the film the third one to go after the family demo. This is a rare miscalculation for Disney, which has been perhaps the most adept studio in selecting optimal release dates for its movies.

TOY STORY 5 vs. TOY STORY 4 after 24 Days

#4 – EVIL DEAD BURN

EVIL DEAD BURN, the horror film from Warner Bros., finished in fourth place, luring in $13.7M at the domestic box office. This is the sixth feature in the EVIL DEAD franchise, one of horror’s most influential properties despite having relatively modest production budgets. Beginning as an independent production financed largely by friends and family, the series launched the careers of Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and producer Rob Tapert. Over four decades, it has continually reinvented itself while maintaining its signature mythology surrounding the Necronomicon, the Kandarian Demon, outrageous practical effects, and increasingly elaborate gore. Here is a recap of the franchise’s box office history.

EVIL DEAD Franchise History

EVIL DEAD BURN was produced by longtime franchise architects Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert through Ghost House Pictures and New Line Cinema. The film is directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček, who earned widespread acclaim for his feature debut INFESTED (2023). Raimi reportedly selected Vaniček after being impressed by his ability to combine relentless suspense with practical creature effects. The filmmakers sought to preserve the franchise’s trademark blend of graphic practical gore, black humor, and inventive camerawork while introducing an entirely new cast and setting.

The film stars Souheila Yacoub, best known for DUNE: PART TWO (2024), CLIMAX (2018), PLAN 75 (2022) and Hunter Doohan from streaming shows Wednesday and Your Honor. The plot centers on Alice, who travels to a remote family home to mourn with her in-laws after the death of her husband. Their grief is interrupted when the ancient Necronomicon unleashes the Deadites, transforming the gathering into a horrifying fight for survival. As family members become possessed one by one, Alice discovers that promises made in life may continue even after death. The film emphasizes themes of grief, domestic trauma, and survival while delivering the series’ trademark over-the-top gore and practical horror effects.

Critics have shown a penchant for the franchise, and is mostly in tact with EVIL DEAD BURN having a 71% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences registered an 82% score. The Hollywood Reporter said, “Right off the bat, Vanicek shows he’s not fooling around, with a maximum-brutality kill.” Variety went even further to describe the mayhem: “The violence, while nonstop, remains aggressively ‘thematic,’ as the bottled-up family tensions and angers come out in the form of gnashing, bashing, gouging, severing, impaling, dismembering.” The Wrap weighed in with, “It’s not the smartest ‘Evil Dead.’ It’s not the funniest ‘Evil Dead.’ It’s not the best ‘Evil Dead.’ But it is the evilest ‘Evil Dead,’ and that feels right. Dead right.” Finally, the Associated Press is not a fan, saying, “We’ve come a long way since Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, and not in a good way. With so much elevated horror at the movie theaters these days, ‘Evil Dead Burn’ seems like a step back — off a cliff.”

The film is estimated to have a production cost of $20M, in line with the other franchise entries. This means that it will only need $50M in global sales to be theatrically profitable. Based upon its less-than-hoped-for opening of $13.7M, it still has a ways to go. For a comparison film, we will use the last franchise outing, EVIL DEAD RISE from 2023. This will give us a sense of the financial direction the franchise is taking.

EVIL DEAD BURN vs. EVIL DEAD RISE

#5 – YOUNG WASHINGTON

YOUNG WASHINGTON from Angel Studios fell to fifth from its third-place opening, capturing an additional $6.4M which represents a steep drop of 67%. This brings its 10-day total to $33.1M domestically. Opening in time for the Independence Day holiday, Angel’s film opened with $20.8M last weekend, well above industry expectations which were closer to $15M. This was the studio’s second highest opening ever, only surpassed by its animated DAVID last Christmas.

However, a fall of 67% in its second weekend is not what Angel had in mind. Still YOUNG WASHINGTON’s synergy with the patriotic feelings surrounding July 4^th weekend may have set up this steep decline. Angel’s maximized opening was probably the main reason for its steep drop from those heights on its sophomore weekend. In many cases, the fall-off of 67% over its second weekend would prove fatal, but next weekend could be a defining weekend for this film. Based on its 92% audience reaction on ROTTEN TOMATOES, the film has been receiving positive word of mouth, and many of the 2.2M Angel Guild members have not yet fit the film into their busy summer schedules. Even after its strong opening, a third weekend drop of another 60% or more would bring the movie back into the range of what had been expected for this movie prior to its release.

YOUNG WASHINGTON vs. THE PATRIOT after 10 Days