Disney’s “Moana” Unable to Go Far at the Weekend Box Office!

Disney’s live-action adaptation of the beloved animated Moana failed to make a splash at the weekend box office. And no one was actually surprised.

Due to a handful of live-action adaptations of Disney’s animated offerings making a lot of money at the box office (with the live-action Lilo and Stitch being the most recent example), the House of Mouse just won’t stop making the world sit through a whole bunch of clunkers in the hope of hitting box office gold again. And as expected, Moana was the latest flop in said series of movies.

The moment Disney announced bringing the animated Moana to the big screen with Dwayne Johnson as Maui, I heard the collective groan that reverberated across the globe. Regardless of Johnson being majorly miscast as a live-action Maui, nobody was asking for such a treatment of the Moana IP, especially with how Moana 2 was released in November of 2024 and grossed $1.059 billion worldwide. The Moana IP was still fresh in people’s minds and, as far as I could tell, the fandom wanted a third installment instead of the live-action shenanigans.

So, yeah, it’s no surprise that the general audience, especially kids, refused to show up to support Moana in theaters this weekend. Moana managed to open with an estimated $43 million domestically, with the global haul currently sitting at $95 million, against a whopping reported production budget of $250 million!

Not only was the movie not needed (in my opinion), but it also didn’t expand on the animated project to try and stand on its own. The shot-for-shot adaptation of the animated movie with Johnson as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia as Moana made me roll my eyes on several occasions and constantly reminded me of how great the original was.

For those interested, here’s my video review of Moana.

Like, really? Johnson as Maui in that wig? Ugh!

As for the rest of the box office, Minions and Monsters also struggled, with the second weekend placing it in second place with an estimated $20.5 million. The reported production budget is supposed to be $85 million, with the worldwide collection being $280 million. Even though Universal will see a profit, the Minions/Despicable Me IP is supposed to perform a lot better than this.

The enjoyable Toy Story 5 managed to collect an estimated $18.5 million, bringing the total haul to $879 million. There’s a chance Toy Story 5 might not hit the $1 billion milestone, but regardless, the movie is a success. I think we will get an announcement for a 6th installment soon.

New horror arrival Evil Dead Burn debuted in fourth place with an approx. $13.7 million. With a reported production budget of $20 million, the Sébastien Vaniček-directed flick has, as of yet, grossed $41 million. It will likely not match the $146 million global haul of 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, but it’s safe to say the decades-long franchise will continue.

Supergirl is almost out of the Top 10, having made only $3.5 million during the third week of release. The current total sits at $115 million against a reported production budget of around $180 million. Sigh!

Everyone’s looking to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (July 17, 2026) and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Way (July 31, 2026) to revive the Summer Box Office.

July 10, 2026 – July 12, 2026 Weekend Box Office

1. Moana – $43 million
2. Minions and Monsters – $20.5 million
3. Toy Story 5 – $18.5 million
4. Evil Dead Burn – $13.7 million
5. Young Washington – $6.4 million
6. The Invite – $5.7 million
7. Obsession – $3.8 million
8. Supergirl – $3.5 million
9. Disclosure Day – $3.2 million
10. Backrooms – $1.4 million

Did you watch Moana this weekend? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

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(via Box Office Mojo)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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