Disney’s live-action Moana remake is bombing at the box office in a way that immediately brings Snow White to mind. The film opened to $43 million domestically, a disappointing result for a Disney tentpole that now sits alongside Snow White as one of the studio’s weakest live-action remake launches.
The film stars newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana and brings back Dwayne Johnson as Maui. John Tui plays Chief Tui, Frankie Adams stars as Sina and Rena Owen plays Gramma Tala. Directed by Thomas Kail, the film is a live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2016 animated musical about a young wayfinder who answers the ocean’s call and journeys beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with Maui to restore prosperity to her people.
While Moana still finished No. 1 in North America, the opening is far below what Disney had hoped for from a film carrying a reported $250 million production budget, before marketing costs are added. Overseas, the remake added $52 million for a global debut of $95 million, leaving it well short of the studio’s earlier expectations.
Read more: Live-Action ‘Moana’ Trailer Offers First Look at Dwayne Johnson, Fans Left Divided
The comparison to Snow White is especially sharp because Disney’s 2025 remake also opened to $43 million domestically, making it the standard bearer for the studio’s recent live-action misfires. In both cases, the films underperformed against the scale of their budgets and the strength of Disney’s brand, showing that not every animated classic translates into a box office hit in live-action form.
“Disney invented this live-action phenomenon based on their animated films, and they’ve had remarkable success with them,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “But this opening isn’t close to Disney’s past remakes.”
Timing may also be working against Moana. The remake arrives a decade after the original 2016 animated film and less than two years after Moana 2, which gave audiences little reason to rush back for a live-action retelling. That makes the film feel closer to Snow White than to Disney’s biggest remake winners, such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.
Critical reception has only added to the pressure. The live-action Moana has landed at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience scores have been more positive, with CinemaScore reporting an “A-” grade. Even so, the box office numbers suggest Disney’s remake formula is struggling when it revisits properties that are either too recent or too familiar in the streaming era.
Read more: Live-Action ‘Moana’ Sets Sail with Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia
The result is a stark reminder that Disney’s live-action remake strategy is not automatic box office gold. With Moana now drawing direct comparisons to Snow White, the studio has two recent titles that failed to live up to the commercial expectations of their animated originals.
