Despite the live-action Moana movie, led by Dwayne Johnson, turning into a disappointment, Disney isn’t worried at all. Based on the highly successful animated franchise, the live-action movie released last month failed to create any impact at the box office.
During a recent earnings call, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro admitted that Moana underperformed in theaters, according to Variety. However, he showed heavy confidence in it becoming a hit on the streaming platform Disney+ whenever it arrives there.
D’Amaro said the “live-action Moana is expected to be a strong title on Disney+, building on the success of the original film, which is one of the most-streamed movies of all time.”
How much money did the live-action Moana movie make in theaters?
The live-action Moana movie was made on a reported budget of close to $250 million. However, it couldn’t make a profit and has only earned $262 million worldwide at the box office so far. Previously, it was expected to lose $100 million in theaters for Disney.
Moana was doomed to become a massive flop even before the release. Early projections suggested the movie would make between $80 million and $105 million during the opening domestic weekend. However, the revised predictions indicated a total ranging between just $45 million and $60 million.
Besides Dwayne Johnson, Moana also featured Catherine Laga’aia, who played the title character. Other key cast members included Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, John Tui, and Jemaine Clement.
While the live-action adaptation failed, it hasn’t affected the future of the animated Moana movies. In a recent media interaction, Johnson revealed that Moana 3 is happening. “Yes, we have talked about ‘Moana 3,’ yes.” Additionally, he also mentioned that Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller will return to write the next installment.
As for the live-action movie, it’s still running in theaters. It has yet to receive an update on its Disney+ release date.
Originally reported by Mintu Kumar Tomar on ComingSoon.
