Overview
- Trackers reported on Saturday that Moana is forecast to open to roughly $85 million in its U.S. opening weekend.
- That figure is far below Lilo & Stitch’s $146 million debut and close to the How to Train Your Dragon remake’s about $85 million start.
- Industry reports place the film’s production budget near $200 million and analysts say adding marketing pushes the break-even point into the high hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Moana faces a crowded summer release window with family tentpoles such as Toy Story 5 and Minions & Monsters plus Sony’s Spider-Man, increasing the need for positive audience reaction to sustain box-office legs.
- The movie keeps original songwriters and a high-profile cast led by Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson, and analysts say Disney may boost marketing to counter soft presales and social-media pushback about Johnson’s look.