411 Box Office Report: Moana Falls Flat But Leads Way With $43 Million

Moana had a pyrrhic victory at the box office this weekend, claiming #1 despite a disappointing opening. The latest Disney live-action remake fell short of even modest hopes, taking in $43 million for the three-day frame. That is just barely above the disastrous $42.2 million that Snow White opened to in March of 2025 and a mere fraction of the $146 million opening of the live action Lilo & Stitch movie from last May.

Coming into the weekend, Disney was hoping for a start of around $60 million, but those hopes were quashed when the Thursday previews (which get folded into Friday box office numbers) came in at just $4.5 million. And things didn’t get better from there, as the film just didn’t have the juice to rise to the occasion.

There are plenty of things you can blame this one on, most notably the decision to release it when Toy Story 5 was in its third weekend while Minions & Monsters was in its second. But the biggest problem is that people weren’t dying for a remake of this one. Sure, Disney’s live-action adaptations have been a bit spottier in recent years but there was demand for Lilo & Stitch not so much here, and the critic reviews didn’t help as the film has a lousy Rotten Tomatoes critic aggregate score of 34%. While that in itself wouldn’t sink the film — family films tend to be resistant to critic consensus — it didn’t help entice an ambivalent audience to come in to see it.

The good news is that the audience reaction has been strong. Moana has an A- CinemaScore and a 90% RT audience rating, which means that Disney is hoping to see this one leg out to a better total than its start would imply. It’s not clear if it will do so, however. Those scores are great on average, but they still lag behind most of the live-action remakes which tend to hit the A CinemaScore.

It should also be noted that the international grosses aren’t swimming yet, with just $52 million for a $95 million total against a $250 million budget. It’s going to be very hard for this film to get to a profit margin while it’s in theaters, and even if it has good legs, it won’t make it much past $120 million.

On the flip side, Minions & Monsters had a solid hold this weekend as it was down 45% from its opening to bring in $20.5 million. That’s a bit of a balm for Universal after the film’s lackluster start. The Minions sequel is performing well overseas as it has totaled $108.3 million domestically and $280 million worldwide against an $85 million budget. It’s now in a stronger position and while its profit margin will be disappointing considering how reliable a franchise this has been, it will make money with a likely $140 million to $145 million domestic final.

Toy Story 5 continues to chug ahead, down just 39% in its third weekend. The Pixar sequel added $18.5 million to its coffers. The film brought its totals to a very good $403.8 million domestic and $879.1 million worldwide. It is likely to surpass Toy Story 4’s $434 million stateside finish. The budget was $250 million.

Evil Dead Burns also failed to meet expectations, as it opened to just $13.7 million. That’s below the high teens opening that was hoped for coming into the frame, and the lowest start for an Evil Dead film since Army of Darkness’ $4.4 million debut in 1993.

Evil Dead Burns was coming off the quite positive reactions to 2023’s Evil Dead Rise but didn’t quite have that film’s positive buzz. The 71% critic aggregate on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t bad by any stretch, but it’s well behind Rise’s 85%. The new film was marketing heavily on the gore, which is often going to result in lower mainstream appeal (Terrifier aside).

The audience reactions are solid but not exceptional at a B CinemaScore and an 82% RT audience rating, and it’s possible that this one might leg out a bit as there’s no major horror competition until Ice Cream Man in August. It added $13.3 million overseas for $27 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. It could get into the $30 million range, which would be fine when added to international revenue.

Angel Studios’ Young Washington saw an expected hit in its second weekend, as the historical drama grossed $6.4 million. That’s a 67% drop from its July Fourth-boosted opening weekend. The film is at $33.1 million now and should be able to reach $45 million or so against a $20 million budget. That’s good enough for the studio.

A24 took The Invite wide, and the film did exactly as expected with a $5.7 million start. The Olivia Wilde-directed romcom was the best reviewed “new” film of the weekend at a 96% RT critic store, and the one with the best word of mouth at an 89% RT audience rating.

As we mentioned last weekend, this film was off to a good start in its very limited preview launch, which positioned it well for this frame. There is no word on the A24 movie’s budget, but it is up to $7.4 million in the US and $8.7 million worldwide, probably enough for profit when it’s all said and down. $15 million to $20 million should be its final total.

Obsession eased down a mere 27% in its ninth frame to scare up another $3.8 million. The blockbuster indie horror success has now totaled $253.3 million domestically and $426.7 million worldwide against a budget of just $1 million. It is on still course for somewhere around $260 million in the US.

Supergirl continues to sink as it dropped 59% in its fourth weekend. The DC Studios film grossed just $3.6 million. The film has $66 million domestically and $115.4 million worldwide, an awful result against a $170 million budget. $75 million will be its endgame stateside.

Disclosure Day was off 44% in its fifth fourth weekend with $2.3 million. The Steven Spielberg-directed entry has climbed to $111.3 million in the US and $229 million worldwide and will probably be a minor success against a $110 million budget. It will reach the finish line with around $116 million or so.

Backrooms closed out the top 10, down 54% in its seventh weekend. The Kane Parsons-directed flick has $194.2 million stateside and $367.9 million worldwide and will finish its run a bit under $200 million, a hugely successful against its $10 million budget.

Christopher Nolan returns to theaters next weekend with The Odyssey, which should gross over $100 million to start.

Box Office Top Ten (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)

1. Moana – $43 million ($43 million total, $95 million WW)
2. Minions & Monsters – $20.5 million ($61.4 million total, $159.9 million WW)
3. Toy Story 5 – $18.5 million ($366.3 million total, $764.3 million WW)
4. Evil Dead Burn – $13.7 million ($13.7 million total, $30 million WW)
5. Young Washington – $6.4 million ($33.1 million total, $33.1 million WW)
6. The Invite – $5.7 ($7.4 million total, $8.7 million WW)
7. Obsession – $3.8 million ($253.3 million total, $426.7 million WW)
8. Supergirl – $3.6 million ($66 million total, $115.4 million WW)
9. Disclosure Day – $3.2 million ($111.3 million total, $229 million WW)
10. Backrooms – $1.5 million ($194.2 million total, $367.9 million WW)