Weekend Box Office Recap: Moana Opens No. 1, But Disney’s Live-Action Remake Makes a Soft Splash

The weekend of July 10–12, 2026 gave Disney another No. 1 box office finish, but not the kind of win the studio was hoping for.

The live-action remake of Moana opened in first place with an estimated $43 million domestic weekend and $95 million worldwide, including $52 million internationally. That is a respectable number for many films, but not for a Disney live-action remake with a reported $250 million production budget, Dwayne Johnson returning as Maui, and one of the studio’s most popular modern animated properties behind it.

So the headline is complicated: Moana won the weekend, but it still underperformed. It opened behind the original animated film’s domestic launch, far behind Moana 2’s huge 2024 debut, and in line with recent Disney live-action misses rather than the studio’s billion-dollar remake hits.

Meanwhile, Minions & Monsters and Toy Story 5 kept pulling family audiences, Evil Dead Burn underperformed as horror counterprogramming, The Invite had a strong wide expansion, and Michael officially crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide.

Moana Opens No. 1, But the Context Is Rough

On paper, Moana taking the top spot should be good news. The film led the domestic chart, had the biggest new opening of the weekend, and still brought in nearly $100 million worldwide.

But box office is always about expectations, cost, and momentum. By that standard, this was a soft launch.

The 2016 animated Moana opened to $56.6 million over its domestic weekend and eventually became one of Disney’s most durable modern titles. Moana 2 opened huge in 2024 and crossed $1 billion worldwide. The new live-action version arrived only 19 months after Moana 2, which may have made the remake feel less like an event and more like Disney returning to the same well too quickly.

The film also faced harsh critical response. One of the main complaints was that the movie plays too close to the animated original, giving audiences a familiar story but not necessarily a fresh reason to see it again in theaters.

Audience response looks better than the reviews, with an A- CinemaScore and stronger reactions from parents, which could help it hold better than the opening suggests. But with a $250 million reported budget, Moana needs a lot more than decent word-of-mouth. It needs a long global run.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for July 10–12, 2026:

1. Moana — $43.0 million
2. Minions & Monsters — $20.5 million
3. Toy Story 5 — $18.5 million
4. Evil Dead Burn — $13.7 million
5. Young Washington — $6.9 million
6. The Invite — $5.7 million
7. Obsession — $3.8 million
8. Supergirl — $3.6 million
9. Disclosure Day — $3.2 million
10. Backrooms — $1.5 million

Family Competition May Have Capped Moana

One of the clearest stories of the weekend is family-film saturation.

Moana did not open into an empty marketplace. It arrived while Minions & Monsters and Toy Story 5 were still playing to the same broad family audience. That matters because families are not unlimited theatrical consumers. They may go to the movies often during summer, but when three PG animated or family-driven titles are competing at once, choices have to be made.

Minions & Monsters finished second with $20.5 million, dropping a modest 45% from last weekend and bringing its domestic total to about $108.3 million. After a softer-than-expected July 4 launch, that is a better hold than the opening narrative suggested.

Toy Story 5 finished third with $18.5 million, bringing its domestic total to about $403.8 million. More importantly, it has reached about $879 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest global releases of 2026 and still a serious candidate to reach $1 billion.

That creates a tough comparison for Moana. Disney’s own Toy Story 5 is still the stronger family event, while Universal and Illumination’s Minions & Monsters is still taking up space in the same lane. Moana won the weekend, but it did not dominate the family market the way Disney likely expected.

Evil Dead Burn Fails to Fully Ignite

The weekend’s other major new release, Evil Dead Burn, opened in fourth place with $13.7 million domestic and about $27 million worldwide.

That is not a catastrophic start for a horror movie with a reported budget around $20 million, but it is still disappointing compared with recent franchise history. The previous two Evil Dead films opened in the $25 million range, so this launch suggests the franchise did not generate the same urgency this time around.

The timing was also tricky. Horror has been one of the dominant stories of the 2026 box office, but the genre has already had a massive run this summer with Obsession and Backrooms. Those movies became cultural events because they felt fresh, viral, and connected to younger audiences. Evil Dead Burn had brand recognition, but it did not feel like the next must-see horror moment.

It may still do fine relative to cost, especially if international numbers and home viewing help. But as a theatrical launch, it is a clear step down from what the franchise recently delivered.

Young Washington Drops After Its Holiday Moment

Young Washington earned about $6.9 million in its second weekend, down sharply from its July 4 debut.

That drop is not surprising. The movie’s opening was heavily tied to Independence Day timing and America’s 250th birthday context. Once the holiday frame passed, the urgency faded.

Still, the film has now reached about $33.6 million domestic, which is a solid total for an Angel Studios historical drama. It found the right release window, mobilized its core audience, and benefited from a clear patriotic hook. The second-weekend drop limits its long-term ceiling, but the release strategy still worked.

The Invite Expands Well

One of the better smaller stories of the weekend was The Invite. After strong limited-release numbers, A24 expanded the Olivia Wilde-directed chamber comedy to 1,610 theaters, where it earned about $5.7 million.

That is a strong jump for an adult-skewing ensemble comedy, especially in a summer dominated by animation, horror, franchises, and big IP. The film’s cast — including Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton — gives it a recognizable adult appeal, and A24 appears to be building it carefully.

The number does not make The Invite a breakout yet, but it does suggest there is still a lane for smart, cast-driven adult counterprogramming. In a marketplace where many mid-budget adult comedies have moved to streaming, this is a promising sign.

Obsession Still Refuses to Leave

Obsession continued its remarkable run with $3.8 million in its ninth weekend, bringing its domestic total to about $253.3 million.

That number is still one of the most impressive box office stories of the year. A microbudget horror film lasting this long in the top 10 is rare. A microbudget horror film doing it after direct competition from Backrooms, Scary Movie, Evil Dead Burn, and several major summer titles is even more unusual.

The film is no longer dominating headlines every weekend, but its staying power remains extraordinary. It has become the clearest proof that the 2026 horror wave was not just about opening-weekend hype. At least in the case of Obsession, word-of-mouth turned it into a real long-run phenomenon.

Supergirl Keeps Falling

Supergirl earned about $3.6 million, bringing its domestic total to roughly $66.2 million.

The DC release is now firmly one of the summer’s major disappointments. It opened soft, dropped hard, and has not found the audience recovery it needed. The film’s domestic total is far below what a major superhero release would normally need, especially one tied to the early direction of DC Studios’ new era.

The larger superhero lesson remains the same: brand recognition no longer guarantees theatrical urgency. Audiences may still show up for comic-book films, but only when the movie feels essential, distinct, and broadly appealing. Supergirl did not reach that bar.

Disclosure Day and Backrooms Wind Down

Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day added $3.2 million, bringing its domestic total to about $111.3 million. The original sci-fi thriller opened well and remains one of the more meaningful non-franchise studio releases of the summer, but its run has slowed considerably.

Backrooms earned $1.5 million, bringing its domestic total to about $194.2 million. The A24 internet-horror breakout is clearly winding down domestically, but its overall run remains a landmark result. It helped prove that internet-native horror can become a real theatrical event and gave A24 one of its biggest commercial wins ever.

Michael Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

The biggest global milestone of the weekend came outside the domestic top 10: Michael crossed $1 billion worldwide.

That makes the Michael Jackson film the highest-grossing music biopic ever, passing Bohemian Rhapsody. It is also only the second 2026 film to reach the billion-dollar mark after The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

This is one of the year’s defining box office achievements. Michael opened with controversy and mixed reviews, but its global audience kept showing up. Music biopics can travel when the central figure has worldwide recognition, and few artists have the international reach of Michael Jackson.

At this point, Michael is not just a successful biopic. It is a true global blockbuster.

The Bigger Story: July Is Looking Uneven

The 2026 box office remains ahead of last year, but July has been shakier than May and June.

May and June were both strong months, powered by a mix of surprise horror breakouts, major franchise titles, Pixar, comedy, and music-biopic momentum. July, so far, has been more uneven. Minions & Monsters won July 4 but opened below franchise highs. Supergirl stumbled. Now Moana has opened at No. 1 but well below the level expected from a costly Disney live-action remake.

That does not mean the overall market is weak. The year-to-date domestic box office is still up more than 10% compared with the same point last year. But the latest weekends show that audiences are being selective. They are not automatically rewarding every family film, every superhero title, or every familiar remake.

The upcoming release calendar could change the tone quickly. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey arrives next weekend with major expectations, followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day. If those titles deliver, July could recover quickly. But for now, the month has produced more warning signs than clean wins.

International Box Office

Internationally, Moana opened with $52 million from 50 markets, bringing its worldwide debut to $95 million. That overseas number gives the film a better global footprint than the domestic opening alone, but it is still soft for a Disney remake with a reported $250 million budget.

Minions & Monsters added about $60 million worldwide for the weekend, showing that its global performance is healthier than its franchise-low domestic opening initially suggested. It remains a viable performer, especially given its lower reported cost compared with many major studio tentpoles.

Toy Story 5 earned about $63.8 million globally for the weekend and has now reached roughly $879 million worldwide. It remains one of the strongest films of 2026 and is still on track to challenge the billion-dollar mark if it continues holding.

Evil Dead Burn opened to about $27 million worldwide, including $13.7 million domestic. That is a muted global start for the horror sequel, especially compared with recent franchise entries.

The biggest international milestone belongs to Michael, which has officially crossed $1 billion worldwide. That makes it the top-grossing music biopic ever and one of the largest global box office stories of the year.

Bottom line: Moana won the weekend, but it did not deliver the kind of launch Disney needed. The family marketplace is crowded, live-action remake fatigue may be real, and July needs The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day to bring back the kind of momentum May and June delivered.