Moana is undeniably a major IP for Disney as the 2016 original animated pic surpassed box office expectations and is a regular among the list of top-watched movies on Disney+.
The 2024 sequel, Moana 2, was equally as successful, earning over $1 billion at the box office.
So why did the live-action adaptation of such a beloved Disney concept fail earlier this year?
Directed by Thomas Kail from a script by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film hit an immediate wall with its very first teaser image.
As soon as fans saw Dwayne Johnson in that questionable wig playing the shapeshifting demigod, the project felt dead on arrival.
However, President Dana Walden has another reason for the film's failure.
Appearing at Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Los Angeles, Walden told the crowd, "It’s so competitive right now that you have to have … the right film at the right time, with audiences feeling a certain degree of demand."
She continued, "I would say our live-action ‘Moana,’ which is excellent, I think it was hurt by the proximity to our second animated version of ‘Moana,’ which came together under unusual circumstances, but premiered about 18 months before this one. So perhaps there was not enough time to create a lot of pent-up demand for another film."
But Walden indicated that there will be more Moana down the line despite the failure of the live-action adaptation.
She also touched on the fact that a large corporation such as Disney generates revenue with its IP through other means than just box office performance, so even if a film fails to turn a profit, the characters and franchise still have value.
"Our job is to deliver the highest quality. Try to create content which endures and is going to be of value years and years and years from now. That is what has built this unmatched canon of IP."
In Disney’s live-action adaptation of the beloved Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Thomas Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated features “Moana” and “Moana 2.” Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds and songs of “Moana” in U.S. theaters on July 10, 2026.