Dwayne Johnson is getting another moment in the sun, thanks to a family adventure finding new legs on streaming. The film is pulling viewers back in, proving that a movie’s box office run isn’t always the final score.
Dwayne Johnson’s Moana remake is topping Disney+ charts
According to FlixPatrol, Moana climbed to No. 1 on Disney+ top 10 overall chart in the United States. That position puts the movie ahead of other titles like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, VisionQuest, Halloweentown, Edward Scissorhands, Lilo & Stitch, and more.
Thomas Kail, the filmmaker behind Hamilton, takes the director’s chair for this live-action island adventure. Fresh face Catherine Lagaʻaia portrays Moana, while Dwayne Johnson brings Maui back to the big screen. The Rock reprises his role as the swaggering, tattooed demigod he first voiced in Disney’s 2016 animated hit.
John Tui, Frankie Adams and Rena Owen join the crew, rounding out the main cast. Disney backs the project, with Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Beau Flynn and Lin-Manuel Miranda helping steer the production as producers.
In the movie, Moana sets sail beyond her island’s reef with Maui by her side, chasing a way to bring abundance back to her people. The adventure has familiar, beloved characters, catchy tunes, and a world inspired by Pacific Island cultures.
Disney had bet on nostalgia, but that alone wasn’t enough to make the remake a box office juggernaut. Bringing an animated favorite to life came with sky-high expectations. The production reportedly burned through $250 million, then pulled in around $323.8 million worldwide.
Theaters keep a cut of ticket sales, and marketing costs eat into the rest. So, despite earning more than its production budget, the film’s box office haul was disappointing.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the remake has a 33% critics’ score, while its audience score is 87%. IMDb users rate it 5.8 out of 10.
