4 Disney Live-Action Remake Box Office Bombs That Moana Might Not Even Beat

Disney’s latest live-action remake, Moana, has been a source of heavy criticism since it was initially announced. There have been lackluster critical reviews since the film came out, and Moana has struggled at the worldwide box office. Disney keeps pumping out these live-action remakes because several of them make a ton of money, like Lilo & Stitch, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book. Unfortunately, a handful of these projects have also bombed at the box office in a big way, causing some to wonder why Disney continues to focus on them.

A few main issues are apparent with this iteration of Moana. For starters, the film comes only a decade after the original, meaning the beloved animated version is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Moana 2 was also only released a couple of years ago, giving audiences even more of this world. This remake also struggled because it’s mostly a shot-for-shot remake of the original, featuring most of the original cast, and doesn’t do anything new. Moana has currently grossed $230 million on a budget of $250 million, and it might not be able to surpass a few other Disney live-action films, which also bombed at the box office.

4) Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil

2014’s Maleficent was a wise Disney live-action remake, along the same lines as Cruella. Instead of just retelling Sleeping Beauty, it takes the antagonist and gives us a story about her, while also featuring a big star like Angelina Jolie in the titular role. Maleficent grossed over $750 million and became such a hit that the studio chose to release a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), which was set five years after the events of the original. Unfortunately, this is a film that mostly missed the mark with the viewing audience.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil pulled in just around $490 million at the worldwide box office. That’s a steep drop from the first installment, yet it also ended up disappointing. Reports say that with a $186 million budget and added in advertising and distribution costs, the movie needed to make $500 million just to make a profit. That makes Maleficent: Mistress of Evil a box office flop. Considering Moana is less than halfway to $490 million after a few weeks in theaters, it feels like it doesn’t have a good chance of reaching that number.

3) Dumbo (2019)

Disney flooded the market with live-action remakes in 2019. While Aladdin and The Lion King (which was actually mostly animated anyway) both crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office, the other releases didn’t come anywhere close. The film had a tough hill to climb as it didn’t have the kind of audience that something like Aladdin did thanks to the original Dumbo‘s controversial aspects. This version also had to add new material because the animated film is only 64 minutes long, while this iteration clocks in at nearly two hours.

Those changes weren’t all that well received, with this film holding a 46% Rotten Tomatoes rating compared to the 95% rating of the 1941 original. Even with Tim Burton in the director’s chair and a strong cast that includes Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and Michael Keaton, the film flopped. On a budget of around $170 million, Dumbo earned just over $350 million worldwide. Moana has a decent shot at hitting that number, though the lackluster reviews mean that people aren’t exactly flocking to see this new film several weeks after its initial release.

2) The Little Mermaid (2023)

Like Moana, the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was surrounded by controversy from the start. Unlike Moana, though, these issues weren’t about the quality of the film but rather due to a group of people being unhappy with a Black actress being cast as Ariel. Halle Bailey ended up being a brilliant choice, evidenced by her impressive performance and the outstanding vocals that she brought to the most iconic songs from the film, including “Part of Your World.” Reviews were even pretty solid overall for 2023’s The Little Mermaid.

Along the same lines as 2025’s bomb, Snow White, the controversy around the film played a part in its box office disappointment. However, The Little Mermaid certainly outperformed Snow White, pulling in nearly $600 million compared to Snow White‘s intake of just over $200 million. Alas, due to a reported budget of $230 million, The Little Mermaid is still seen as a box office disappointment. For Moana to reach the level of The Little Mermaid, it would need to go on a huge run in the coming weeks, which is extremely unlikely.

1) Alice Through The Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass shares a lot in common with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. In 2010, Alice in Wonderland was basically the film that started Disney’s obsession with live-action remakes. Tim Burton’s signature style fit the wacky nature of the project, and Johnny Depp, who played the Mad Hatter, was a bona fide star thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which resulted in the movie being a rousing success. It grossed over $1 billion and set the stage for Disney to produce a sequel six years later.

Unfortunately, Alice Through the Looking Glass didn’t perform nearly as well. Most of the cast, including Depp, Anne Hathaway, and Mia Wasikowska, returned, but Burton didn’t. The film ended up only grossing just under $300 million on a $170 million budget. Moana could pass this film as it only needs to bring in another $70 million to do so. However, Moana only grossed around $95 million in its first weekend, and hitting near that number after several weeks is rare. When you add in competition like The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that seems unlikely.

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