“Moana” key art featuring Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson.
Disney
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Catherine Lagaʻaia’s live-action version of Disney’s Moana arrives on digital streaming this week after hitting choppy waters in theaters.
The new version of Moana comes 10 years after the blockbuster success of the animated original, where the brave teen title character (Auli’i Cravalho) answers the ocean’s call to leave her home island of Motunui and travel beyond the reef in a bid to rescue her homeland before it dies. Accompanying Moana on the mission to restore prosperity is the shapeshifting demigod Maui (Johnson).
Johnson is back as Maui in the live-action Moana, while Lagaʻaia assumes the role of the title character. The film also stars John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, Amaya Masoli and Jemaine Clement, who reprises his voice role from the animated original as the voice of the giant crab Tamatoa.
Moana opened in theaters on July 10 and earned $43 million in its opening weekend frame, falling far below pre-release projections. As of Sept. 3, Moana has earned $126.1 million from North American theaters. Combined with the film’s international receipts of $189.3 million, Moana has a worldwide box office tally of $315.4 million to date. The film had a production budget of $250 million before marketing costs, according to Variety.
By contrast, the animated version of Moana in 2016 earned $248.7 million in domestic ticket sales and $435.6 million internationally for a global box office tally of $684.3 million. The production budget for the animated version of Moana was $150 million before marketing costs.
Acknowledging the film’s underwhelming reception for the live-action Moana at the box office during the company’s earnings call in early August, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said the film — as well as another high-profile summer title that underperformed — contributed to company in other ways.
“Even when our franchise films don’t meet our box office expectations, as with The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana, our investments in these core properties fuel other parts of our company,” D’Amaro said (via Variety).
D’Amaro also said during the earnings call that he was optimistic about the live-action Moana’s path forward on streaming, saying (via Variety), “The live-action Moana is expected to be a strong title on Disney+, building on the success of the original film, which is one of the most-streamed movies of all time.”
Before the new version of Moana hits Disney+, however, it will debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand.
The Live-Action Version Of ‘Moana’ Arrives On PVOD on Tuesday
Disney recently announced that the new version of Moana will be available to purchase on PVOD on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The film will be available to purchase on such digital platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube Movies & TV for $29.99. Since digital rentals are typically $5 less than purchase prices, viewers can expect to rent Moana for $24.99 for a 48-hour period.
For viewers who want to purchase a physical copy of Moana, Disney announced that the film will also be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
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