Although “Moana” led the box office on Friday, the live-action remake didn’t make the domestic splash Disney was probably hoping for.

“Moana” made just $18 million on Friday from 3,875 North American theaters. Rival estimates have it grossing $45 million through opening weekend, which is below the $56 million the original “Moana” earned over its debut in 2016. 

Disney shelled out $250 million for the live-action reprise, up from the $175 million spent on its animated older sibling, meaning “Moana” needs to stick around in theaters for a while to justify costs.

Disney bet big on the live-action “Moana,” and for good reason. Both in home entertainment and at the box office, “Moana” has been one of Disney’s most popular franchises. 

The first film, which made $642 million by the end of its run, is one of the most-watched titles ever on Disney+. “Moana 2,” which was retooled from a scrapped made-for-streaming “Moana” TV show, set a Thanksgiving weekend record with a $225 million debut. It went on to do just over $1 billion worldwide.

Pulling off a successful live-action remake has been a tightrope walk for the Mouse House in recent years. While films like 2016’s “Jungle Book” ($967 million worldwide), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” ($1.26 billion worldwide) and 2019’s “The Lion King” ($1.6 billion worldwide) were all major earners, more recent fare like 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” ($569 million worldwide) and 2025’s “Snow White” ($205 million worldwide), did not drum up enough buisness to justify costs. The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” managed to gross $1 billion following its May 2025 release, but that success now seems like an outlier. 

The dwindling gains are most likely due to audience fatigue with IP and remakes, and these Disney offerings are a cocktail of both.

Like the 2016 original, the new “Moana” follows a young Polynesian girl who leaves her home island for the first time to stop the spread of an ancient curse. Dwayne Johnson returns to reprise his role as the demigod Maui. Catherine Laga’aia stars alongside him in the titular role. 

Other cast members include John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen and Jemaine Clement. Thomas Kail, who helmed the theatrical release of “Hamilton” for Disney, directed the live-action “Moana.”

Friday brought two other major newcomers to the box office: “Evil Dead Burn” and “The Invite.” “Evil Dead Burn” took second with $6.7 million from 3,004 domestic screens. 

Through Sunday, it should scare up an estimated $15 million, which is down from the $25 million debut of its predecessor, 2023’s “Evil Dead Rise.” That film went on to gross $147 million worldwide. Luckily for Warner Bros., the “Evil Dead” movies are made very cheaply, so it won’t take much to get “Burn” out of the red.

“Evil Dead Burn” follows a recent widow who moves in with her in-laws, only to have them all turn into deadites. Cast members include Souheila Yacoub, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand, Greta van den Brink and Tandi Wright. Sébastien Vanicek directs and co-wrote the script with Florent Bernard and “Evil Dead” mastermind Sam Raimi.

A24’s “The Invite” landed in fifth place with $2.4 million domestically on Friday in its first weekend of wide release. It’s a promising launch, considering A24 spent only $12 million on the film following its premiere at Sundance. 

Directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, “The Invite” follows a couple on the brink of divorce who invite their free-spirited upstairs neighbors for a dinner party. Other cast members include Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.

Third place on Friday went to “Minions & Monsters,” which added $6.5 million as it heads into its second weekend in North American theaters. By Sunday, it should gross $21 million, which represents a 43% decline from its $61 million debut. The domestic total is expected to reach $108 by the end of the weekend.

Finally, “Toy Story 5” landed at No. 4 with $5.7 million. It should pull in around $18 million by Sunday, pushing its domestic total to $403 million through four weekends of release. 

It’s only a matter of time before “Toy Story 5” crosses the coveted $1 billion mark and overtakes “Toy Story 4” ($1.07 billion) as the highest-grossing film in the franchise.

Source: Variety

--Agencies