It’s unclear whether the powers that be at Walt Disney Studios saw this coming, but pre-release tracking did not. In a genuine surprise, the live-action adaptation of “Moana” earned just $43 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend. Just a few days ago, estimates had it in the $60-80 million range. Overseas, the tentpole took in another $52 million for $95 million overall to date. That figure is only slightly higher than the $87 million the “Snow White” live-action film earned globally over its first frame. And substantially below the $116 million “Dumbo” found in 2019.
READ MORE: “Moana” Review: Disney’s Live-Action Remake Is A Craven, Cynical, Unnecessary Cash Grab
This is a major disappointment for all involved. The first two animated “Moana” movies took in $684 million and $1 billion, respectively. The latter, “Moana 2,” arrived in November 2024, less than two years ago. Debuting a live-action version, especially one with mostly negative reviews (41 on Metacritic, 34% on Rotten Tomatoes), less than two years later was a costly miscalculation. Greenlit under the previous Bob Iger and Sean Bailey regime, “Moana 2” cost a reported $250 million. With an A- CinemaScore and overseas grosses, it has a slim chance to break even, but technically it’s still possible. Whatever the final outcome, it’s another example of audiences’ growing lack of interest in live-action animated adaptations and of distributors dropping too many family films into the same release window at once. The studio will have to hope that trend turns around when the live-action version of “Tangled” drops sometime over the next year and a half.
Dropping to second place was another domestic disappointment, “Minions & Monsters.” The Universal Pictures and Illumination sequel took in another $20.5 million for $108 million domestic and $245 million global in just 12 days. It looks as though it will be the lowest-grossing installment in the broader “Despicable Me” – “Minions” franchise, but at a reported $85 million production cost will still be profitable for all involved theatrically.
The one family movie that has truly shone in this release window is “Toy Story 5.” The Disney and Pixar blockbuster earned another $18.5 million for $403.7 million domestic and $879 million worldwide. It’s still on track to crack $1 billion before the end of the month.
Arriving fourth was “Evil Dead Burn.” The Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures International release took in $13.7 million in the U.S. and $13.3 million overseas for $27 million global so far. At just a $20 million production cost, the film will be a nice moneymaker for both studios, but may not hit the $147 million global “Evil Dead Rise” took in three years ago. Perhaps a summer release date was not ideal? Something for both studios to ponder.
Despite a strong opening weekend, “Young Washington” dropped 67% in its second frame for just $6.4 million and $33.1 million domestically so far. That makes recouping its $20 million production budget tighter than anticipated. A sequel, “1776,” has publicly been greenlit.
A24 expanded “The Invite” to 1,610 theaters and took in $5.7 million for $7.3 million so far. That’s a very good return, and with little adult comedy competition, the A24 pickup should have a solid run the rest of the summer. Assuming it can survive the prestige onslaught arriving later this week.
In happier news for theater owners, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures’ “Michael” crossed the $1 billion mark with $1.001 billion. Released by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Universal in most international markets, it’s taken in $371 million domestically. The Antoine Fuqua drama is the only biopic ever to gross $1 billion, the only Lionsgate film to do so, and is the second Hollywood film to cross that mark this year.
Yes, the only major wide release on Friday is Christopher Nolan‘s highly anticipated “The Odyssey.”
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
