Disney's Live-Action Moana Remake Is Already A Streaming Hit

Disney’s live-action Moana remake has already made a big splash and is sailing straight to streaming success.

The live-action Moana remake, an adaptation of Disney’s 2016 animated movie, follows the titular character (played by Catherine Laga’aia), who, summoned by the ocean, leaves her home on Motunui for the first time, venturing beyond the island’s reef and joined by the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), embarks on a daring journey to restore balance and save her people.

Now, ahead of its theatrical release next week, the live-action remake is already a streaming hit. Moana | A Special Look is No. 5 on the Top 10 movies on Disney+ in the United States for today, July 2. It ranks below Avatar: Fire and Ash in first, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 2, Toy Story, and above Toy Story 4, Moana, Moana 2, Hoppers, and Avatar.

Moana | A Special Look provides a preview of the live-action remake, from meeting many of its cast members, hearing the music (including a new song by Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Along the Way”), discussing the authenticity of its design, including its costumes, and the legacy of Moana.

In addition to Catherine Laga’aia making her film debut as the titular character (taking over for Auli’i Cravalho) and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui, Moana’s live-action remake cast also includes Rena Owen as Gramma Tala, John Tui as Chief Tui, Frankie Adams as Sina, and Jemaine Clement as the voice of Tamatoa.

The live-action remake was directed by Thomas Kail (Fosse/Verdon) in his feature debut with a screenplay written by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller (Moana 2).

Catherine Laga'aia as Moana singing in the live-action Moana — Catherine Laga’aia as Moana singing in the live-action Moana

In terms of box office projections, the live-action Moana remake is tracking toward an estimated $85 million opening in North America, based on three-week pre-release tracking. Those projections put it roughly in line with the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake, which opened to $84.6 million last year.

However, the live-action remake is well below Moana 2, which delivered a massive Thanksgiving debut in 2024 with a five-day start of $225.4 million ($139.7 million over three days). By comparison, the original Moana opened over the 2016 Thanksgiving weekend to about $82 million over five days ($56.5 million for the three-day frame).

Still, with this kind of early buzz and box office momentum, Moana looks like it’s set to ride a strong wave into theaters next week on July 10. Until then, subscribers can stream Moana | A Special Look on Disney+, along with the animated Moana (2016) and Moana 2 (2024). Moana 3 is also in development, Dwayne Johnson recently confirmed.