‘Moana’ joins ‘Snow White’ as the latest live-action Disney film to bomb at box office

The era of the lazy live-action Disney Studios remake may finally be coming to a merciful end.

For much of the last decade, Disney has moved away from original films and turned to taking its catalog of beloved animated films and turning them into “live-action” remakes. Some of these were critically or commercially successful; for example, the 2015 remake of “Cinderella,” 2016’s “The Jungle Book,” or the 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” which inexplicably grossed nearly $1.7 billion worldwide.

As recently as 2025, “Lilo & Stitch” earned over $1 billion in worldwide revenue. However, these success stories are accompanied by a number of failures, both financial and otherwise. And hopefully the catastrophic mistakes in their latest effort will put an end to the endless stream of poorly conceived and executed movies mass-produced by a once-proud studio.

‘MOANA’ LIVE-ACTION REMAKE HAS BEEN RASHED BY CRITICS IN A DEFENDANT BLOW FOR DISNEY STUDIOS

“Snow White,” also shot in 2025, became one of the biggest financial failures in modern Hollywood history; an unsurprising result given the long list of obvious errors. Star Rachel Zegler made a wildly inaccurate broadcast, then spent much of the promotional period criticizing the classic original film. Negative reactions to the leaked set photos led to a year-long delay as the film was reshot and edited to salvage the plot.

It didn’t work. Zegler’s performance was widely criticized, his off-putting expressions and attitude affected attendance, and the film cost Disney a staggering $170 million. This past weekend, “Moana” was released in theaters despite not having the same level of negativity in the pre-release press. And remarkably, a similar loss follows.

Incredibly, Disney allocated a whopping $250 million budget to the “live action” version of “Moana.” There is no huge marketing spend involved. Assuming marketing costs are at least $100 million, which is pretty standard for a big-budget movie, that’s $350 million in production costs. Given the 50/50 revenue split with movie theaters, that’s an estimated $700 million breakeven point.

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It earned $43 million in its first weekend, which typically accounts for around 40% of a film’s total box office. If that 40% rule is true, that’s only $107 million at the domestic box office. The original earned $248 million in 2016; this is roughly equivalent to $346.5 million after adjusting for inflation.

This image released by Disney shows Dwayne Johnson as Maui in a scene from the movie “Moana.” (Disney via AP)

“Moana,” like its predecessor, may fare slightly better at the worldwide box office, but given that disappointing first weekend, it has little chance of approaching breakeven, let alone profitability. In fact, Disney predicted $60-65 million for the weekend and $140 million worldwide. The numbers are weak anyway. About $50 million fell short, for a total of just $95 million.

Considering the enormous costs, this movie will lose at least $150 million for Disney studios. “Snow White” debacle. So what happened?

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Reviews were poor, as critics and audiences saw a lack of effort put into the project. Between Dwayne Johnson’s terrible wig, terrible special effects, and clearly fake, desaturated backgrounds that bore no resemblance to the colorful world of the original, there was little reason to expect quality. The original is only 10 years old and is easily available on streaming services. Many moviegoers saw this as a money grab.

And Johnson’s insufferable comments Didn’t help with representation. He said during a recent red carpet interview as we approach the release date: Diversity Stating that he believes “Moana” is important for its representation and visibility, he explains: “‘Indiana Jones’ inspired me. When I was 8 years old, I was watching Harrison Ford and said, ‘I want to be that guy,’ but that guy didn’t look like me.”

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Is this comment the reason the movie failed? No, of course not. But it’s just another reminder of how obsessed Hollywood is with this kind of false, glamorous flattery. No, Johnson didn’t look like Harrison Ford. He also became one of the most famous and successful performers in modern entertainment because many people unlike him identified with his wrestling persona or enjoyed his performances. Should people who are not “represented” in “Moana” not watch the movie? Is that the only reason it’s being done?

Dwayne Johnson arrives at the premiere of “Moana” at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) in Los Angeles. (Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (AP Photo/Richard Shotwell)

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All of these factors play a role in Disney taking another significant loss. Running out of ideas and animated movies to remake leads to hopeless, poorly designed remakes like this. They overspend on budgets and marketing, only to find that talent undercuts their efforts. There’s new leadership at the top of the Disney company, and their first lesson and top priority should be to end the era of lazy live-action nonsense and ban the word “representation” from everything company-related.