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Disney’s $250M Fantasy Remake Quietly Takes Over Disney+ Amid Box Office Struggle
Disney's live-action remake of Moana has struggled at the cinema box office, opening to under $100 million worldwide against a reported $250 million budget, but has found stronger footing on streaming after a "Special Look" preview clip was added to Disney+, pushing it into the platform's top five most popular titles. The film's underperformance in theatres adds to a mixed year for Disney, coming shortly after Snow White's high-profile losses and alongside a weak run for the studio's Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu, even as Toy Story 5 has been a major success.
With a break-even point estimated at over $500 million, Moana is on track to become one of Disney's biggest financial losses from a live-action remake, echoing criticism that a reimagining was unnecessary given the original animated film is only around a decade old. The Mandalorian and Grogu, meanwhile, has grossed roughly $340 million and is expected to finish as the lowest-grossing film in Star Wars history, below Solo: A Star Wars Story. Despite the poor cinema reception, audience interest in Moana appears to be shifting towards streaming, with the Disney+ preview clip's popularity suggesting stronger demand once the film becomes available on the service.
In short
- Live-action Moana flopped at cinemas versus its $250m budget.
- Film is now trending in Disney+'s top five most popular titles.
- Adds to a mixed 2026 for Disney, alongside a weak Star Wars release.
Explained simply
Moana is a Disney animated film that was released approximately a decade ago and found success with audiences worldwide. Disney has created a live-action version of the film using real actors, as part of the studio's practice of remaking its animated classics in live-action.
The live-action remake has struggled at the cinema box office, earning less than $100 million worldwide against a production budget of $250 million. Films of this budget typically need to generate around $500 million globally to break even after accounting for marketing and distribution costs, so Moana is on track to become one of Disney's biggest financial losses. The underperformance reflects a broader difficult period for Disney, with multiple major releases struggling at the box office this year.
The film has achieved stronger results on Disney+, where a preview clip helped it become one of the platform's five most-watched titles. This suggests audiences may be more interested in watching it from home rather than in cinemas, which could help Disney reduce its losses through streaming revenue, although subscription services typically generate considerably less income per viewer than cinema tickets.
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