Moana 2is one of the biggest films to hit theaters in the last year, but the original plan for the sequel would have completely prevented Disney from earning $1 billion at the box office. The follow up to 2016’sMoana,Moana 2was the third most successful film released theatrically last year. The animated musical beat out other mainstream and cultural hits likeWickedandDune, with only two other Disney releases,Inside Out 2andDeadpool & Wolverine, beating it at the box office.
This makes the fact thatMoana 2was originally produced as a TV showall the more surprising. If the project had remained in that form, then Disney+ would have had another in a slew of streaming shows while the company would have lost out on one of the year’s most successful films. Set in motion by circumstances outside Disney’s control, the decision to pivot to a primarily streaming focus was failing to reach the truebox office potential that Disney theatrical releasescan still earn.
Disney Was Overly Focused On Expanding Disney Plus Under Bob Chapek
Disney+ Became The Primary Disney Business Model During The Lockdowns
The success ofMoana 2at the box office highlights the underlying error behind using the Disney+ streaming service as a direct pipeline to the biggest films from the company. This started when Bob Chapek, a longtime veteran of the Walt Disney Company, took over as CEO in 2020 after Bob Iger’s retirement. Months into the pandemic lockdowns,Disney largely shited focus from theatrical releases to streaming media. On top of theatrical films likeMulanandSoulbeing released through Disney+ instead of receiving larger theatrical releases, more media was directly produced for the streaming app.
Moana 2was initally announced as a television show for Disney+ on Disney Investor Day on December 2020.
Theatrical films likeRaya and the Last Dragonwere released simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access, all while the streaming service moved forward with multiple Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe shows.Animated follow-ups toZootopia,The Princess and the Frog, andMoanawere geared for the streaming service instead of the big-screen. While the circumstances of pandemic-forced theatrical shutdowns made this a reasonable short-term solution, the decision has proven to be mistaken in the long run.
Moana 2 Only Became A Movie After Disney’s Streaming Plans Started To Backfire
Too Many Streaming Shows Impacted The Overall Finacial Strength Of Disney
The plan to make Disney+ the primary release platform for the company required a steady stream of new content likeMoana 2, which ideally would also help off-set the loss of revenue that comes with pulling licenses with other streamers. Disney+ meant the studio was no longer making as much profit from licensing their films with streamers like Netflix.This plan also ate into the theatrical box office of Disney films, even following the pandemic. Audiences began simply waiting for the movie to debut on a relatively cheaper streaming service, impacting thedisappointing box office gross for films likeLightyear.
These behind-the-scenes events resulted inMoana 2being changed to be a feature-length film over remaining a TV show, something that the creatives on the project were forced to adapt around.
This increased flow of shows from Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and Disney Animation oversaturated the market in a way that theatrical releases had largely avoided.This contributed to lower earnings for the company and Chapek’s dismissal from Disney. A returning Iger shifted focus back to theatrical release for several projects. These behind-the-scenes events resulted inMoana 2being changed to be a feature-length film over remaining a TV show, something that the creatives on the project were forced to adapt around.
Moana 2 Proves Why Disney Needs To Continue Prioritizing Theatrical Movies Over Streaming Films
Disney Dominated The Box Office In 2024 Thanks To Big Releases On The Big Screen
WhileMoana 2doesn’t fully escape the inherently episodic structure of the story, the film has already proven to be a massive theatrical success. The scope of the story and the returning characters from the beloved 2016 film helped propelMoana 2in the 2024 box office rankings, making it the third most successful film of the year. An overall return to theatrical focus has benefited Disney across the board, withPixar’sInside Out 2and Marvel Studios’Deadpool & Wolverinestanding out as the only two films surpassMoana 2at the box office.
Disney’s Next Animated Movie Will Have A Difficult Time Replicating Moana 2 & Inside Out 2’s Box Office Success
Disney had an incredibly successful 2024 with Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, placing the studio’s next animated film in a difficult position.
Moana 2is a reminder to Disney about the power of a theatrical release. Their big-name films are epic in scope and broad in execution, exactly the kind of mass-appealing films that feel like events when they come out theatrically. If Disney wants to carry on the success they’ve found at the 2024 box office, they need to continue releasing projects across both big screen and online. A streaming version ofMoana 2would have entirely negated the $1 billion that movie has made at the box office, proving Disney should still have a vested interest in theatrical releases.
Moana 2
Cast
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
