Ahead of its upcoming sequel, Moana is still going strong on streaming for Disney, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Although the company recently released several record-breaking films, including Deadpool & Wolverine, it seems audiences can’t stop putting the family-friendly animated film starring Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho on their television screen. Moana, which garnered nearly $700 million at the box office,
According to Bloomberg, Moana has been not only the most streamed title from Disney, it’s one of the most popular films on any platform. Since Disney+ debuted in 2019, Moana has been one of the four most-watched movies on the streamer, with over 80 billion minutes logged by its loyal and growing fanbase. In other words, as Bloomberg puts it, that number is “the equivalent of seeing the picture 748 million times.” That is an unthinkable number of people watching Moana over and over again, making the upcoming sequel on pace to break even more records for Disney+. Forget the MCU and Star Wars, Disney+ owes its insane viewership numbers to one of the better animated films of the past decade.
Of course, Moana‘s streaming success is in part thanks to the love children have for it. It’s no secret that the film is a cultural phenomenon when it comes to obtaining kids’ attention like no other. The catchy songs help, obviously. But Moana is also a heartwarming tale about an adventurous teenager looking to save her people with the help of a demi-god, with an emotional backbone that will appeal to people of all ages. With a Certified Fresh 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and 89% on the Popcornmeter, it’s much rarer to find someone who dislikes the film than not.
Moana’s Future is Bright (& Not Only Animated)
Although it was originally intended to be a straight-to-digital series, Moana 2 is set to hit theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. The highly-anticipated sequel is looking to break even more records for Disney, this time getting their Animation studio back in the spotlight. Moana 2 is currently tracking to make over $100 million at the box office during its domestic opening weekend. The film includes Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho reprising their respective roles, even though it was first meant to be a television series. It seems the episodic adventure has been now condensed into a theatrical film, and Moana 2 is looking to benefit from that immensely.
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Meanwhile, Moana is set to get remade in live-action after Moana 2 hits theaters later this year. Starring Dwayne Johnson in his role as Maui, the upcoming remake will recast the rest of the characters. The Rock himself confirmed the new cast on his social media, revealing that Catherine Laga’aia will play Moana this time around. According to the actor, the production started earlier this year during August, which included filming locations in Hawaii and Atlanta, Georgia. Thomas Kail, known for Hamilton, is set to direct the live-action remake based on a script by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller. Moana is set to hit theaters on Jul.10, 2026. Until then, you can continue to stream the original on Disney+.
- Release Date
- November 23, 2016
- Runtime
- 103