Moana’s box office struggles highlight the unnecessary nature of this Disney remake.

Disney’s live-action adaptation of Moana has turned out to be another box office letdown for the summer. Reports indicate that the film raked in only $43 million domestically during its opening weekend.

This figure aligns with other live-action Disney remakes that underperformed, such as 2019’s Dumbo and last year’s Snow White. While Disney’s Lilo & Stitch managed to gross over $1 billion in theaters last year, Moana’s lackluster performance likely reflects that this remake arrived too soon.

The animated Moana debuted in November 2016 and quickly became one of Disney’s standout franchises. Its success may have led Disney to believe a live-action version would also thrive. However, the film industry operates differently than gaming, where remakes can find success even a decade after the original. With the animated Moana 2 hitting theaters just a year and a half ago, this remake doesn’t carry the same nostalgic weight as classics like The Lion King or Lilo & Stitch.

Additionally, the Moana remake faced stiff competition from other family films like Toy Story 5 and Minions & Monsters, and it didn’t receive a warm reception. Reviews have pointed out that “Nothing about this version asserts itself as unique, necessary, or even particularly interesting.” If Disney aimed to draw audiences to theaters for a remake of a relatively recent film, it needed to deliver something more compelling.

For those interested in how other films performed at the box office this past weekend, a comprehensive list of the top ten highest-grossing movies is available.