<\/p>\n
Moana <\/em>failed to launch at the weekend box office with $43 million domestically and $95 million globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The live-action remake of the 2016 blockbuster was made on an estimated budget of $250 million, while the previous entry in the franchise, Moana 2<\/em>, opened to $225.4 million in its initial 5-day release in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The Michael Jackson musical biopic Michael <\/em>crossed the $1 billion threshold at the global box office, while Evil Dead Burn <\/em>flopped with $13.7 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Sometimes there is <\/em>telling how far you’ll go \u2014 and if you’re Disney’s live-action remake of Moana<\/em><\/a>, it isn’t very far.<\/p>\n The reimagining of the 2016 blockbuster starring Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia seriously cratered in its domestic and global premiere at the weekend box office<\/a>, earning just $43 million in the former market and $95 million in the latter, per Rentrak. That isn’t so so bad if you strip away all the context. Last week’s box office victor<\/a>, Minions & Monsters<\/em>, secured the gold with only $36.4 million. Though, that did represent the nadir of the Despicable Me <\/em>franchise thus far, and more pertinently for Moana<\/em>, the latest iteration was made for an estimated budget of $250 million.<\/p>\n Kicking off at less than one fifth of that sum, it will be virtually impossible for the film to recoup its budget, especially considering invisible marketing and promotional costs. The domestic premiere figures of the original, animated film and its 2024 sequel, Moana 2<\/em>, utterly eclipse the new film: The first film raised $82 million in its five-day release, while Moana 2 <\/em>scored a whopping $225.4 million.<\/p>\n It isn’t great news for Disney, which has otherwise had a largely successful run 2026 at the box office, save a few exceptions. The conglomerate’s last big release, Toy Story 5<\/em>, smashed franchise records with staggering $160 million domestic and $312 million global showings. Hoppers <\/em>and The Devil Wears Prada 2 <\/em>also fared quite well.<\/p>\n But The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/em>, the feature-length continuation of the acclaimed Disney+ series The Mandalorian<\/em>, stumbled in its Memorial Day weekend premiere. The film picked up $81 million domestically and has gone on to earn $177.3 million in that market. It’s just enough to clear the film’s reported budget of $165 million, but that premiere figure represents the lowest opening for a live-action film in the entire Star Wars<\/em> franchise.<\/p>\n What has <\/em>found enormous success this year is Michael<\/em>, the musical biopic of pop legend Michael Jackson, which crossed an important threshold this weekend. Starring the “Bad” singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the title role, the film is officially a billionaire, with its $5.5 million from theaters around the world pushing it to $1,001,691 in total earnings.<\/p>\n