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Live‑Action Moana Opens Softly at Box Office as Hawaii Reaps Millions

Early receipts and reviews raise questions about Disney’s remake strategy and its ability to recoup a very large production cost.

Overview

  • The film earned about $4.5 million in Thursday previews and roughly $18 million on Friday, putting it on track for a roughly $40–45 million domestic opening this weekend.
  • Critics have given the movie low scores in the mid‑30s on Rotten Tomatoes while audience exit polling returned an A–/A CinemaScore, creating mixed signals on whether word‑of‑mouth can boost attendance.
  • Reports place the production budget near $200–250 million so the movie faces a high break‑even threshold that will require strong legs and international revenue to reach profitability.
  • Hawai‘i officials confirmed the production filmed nine days on Oʻahu, generated an estimated $39 million in local economic impact and hired 560 resident workers, and the state recently expanded tax incentives for productions.
  • Industry observers say the weak start adds to pressure on Disney’s live‑action remake slate and could influence how the studio times or greenlights future projects such as Tangled.