Moana Bombs, Doomsday Reveals Doctor Doom, Michael Crosses $1B — Weekend Box Office Roundup

The weekend box office just delivered one of the wildest swings in recent memory — a massive bomb, a billion-dollar milestone, and the first real look at what’s coming in the MCU’s next chapter. Here’s your complete weekend entertainment roundup.

Moana Live-Action Capsizes at the Box Office

Disney’s live-action Moana had one of the roughest openings in recent memory for a major studio tentpole. The Dwayne Johnson-starring remake pulled in just $43 million domestically and $52 million internationally, for a global opening weekend of roughly $95 million. Industry analysts are already projecting losses between $100 million and $125 million on a production budget reported at $200 million before marketing costs.

The numbers mark a stark contrast to the original 2016 animated film, which earned over $680 million worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon. Several factors are being blamed for the underperformance: audience fatigue with live-action remakes, mixed early reviews, and the competitive summer landscape. The film also earned a middling A- CinemaScore from opening-day audiences, suggesting word-of-mouth won’t do it any favors in the weeks ahead.

Disney has been on a live-action remake spree for years, with hits like The Lion King ($1.6B) and Beauty and the Beast ($1.2B) proving the formula can print money. But recent entries have shown diminishing returns, and Moana’s numbers suggest the audience may finally be tuning out. The question now is whether Disney will reconsider its upcoming slate of live-action adaptations — including Lilo & Stitch and Tangled — or double down on the strategy that once seemed like guaranteed gold.

This isn’t just a Moana problem. It’s a signal that the live-action remake playbook is running out of steam. Audiences have become more discerning about what justifies a theatrical ticket versus what they’ll wait to stream at home. With a reported $200 million production budget plus a massive marketing spend pushing the total investment well over $300 million, Moana would have needed to open closer to $150-200 million worldwide just to break even. At $95 million, the math simply doesn’t work. Disney may have to take a significant write-down on this one.

There’s also the question of whether Dwayne Johnson’s star power is as bankable as it once was. While Johnson remains one of the most recognizable actors in the world, his recent box office track record has been mixed. Projects like Black Adam underperformed, and movies like Red One had muted returns relative to their budgets. The Moana result adds another data point suggesting that even the biggest stars can’t overcome broader audience disinterest in a concept.

Michael Crosses $1 Billion — Lionsgate’s First

On the other end of the box office spectrum, Lionsgate’s Michael crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide after 12 weekends in release, becoming the first film in Lionsgate’s history to hit that milestone. It’s only the second movie to cross $1 billion in 2026, following Universal/Illumination’s Super Mario sequel earlier this year.

The achievement is significant for Lionsgate, which has long operated outside the billion-dollar club dominated by Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. The film’s steady legs at the box office suggest strong word-of-mouth and repeat viewership — a rare combination in today’s front-loaded theatrical market.

Toy Story 5 Powers Toward $900 Million Globally

Meanwhile, Pixar’s Toy Story 5 continues its impressive run, now sitting at $879 million globally and on track to cross $900 million this week. The film has benefited from strong family audiences and nostalgia-driven attendance, proving that Pixar’s flagship franchise still has plenty of mileage left even after four previous installments.

Avengers: Doomsday Concept Art Reveals Doctor Doom and X-Men

In Marvel news that broke over the weekend, concept art for Avengers: Doomsday gave fans their first clear look at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom mask. The artwork, posted by former Marvel Studios visual development director Andy Park, also teased returning X-Men characters set to appear in the film.

The concept art shows RDJ’s Doom in full regalia — the iconic metal mask, hooded cloak, and armored suit that comic fans have waited decades to see on the big screen. Park, who served as Marvel Studios’ director of visual development before a recent departure, described the Doom illustration as “a beast to paint” on social media.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on December 18 and is expected to be one of the biggest Marvel events since Endgame, bringing together the new Avengers roster alongside the MCU’s newly introduced X-Men characters.

The Indie Box Office: The Invite Expands Strongly

A24’s The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde, continued its impressive run, expanding to 1,610 locations in its third weekend (up from just 28 screens). The film grossed over $5.7 million for the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $7.38 million and landing at No. 6 at the domestic box office. The strong expansion numbers suggest A24 has another word-of-mouth hit on its hands.

Quick Hits

• Wai Ching Ho, the veteran actress known for playing Madame Gao in Daredevil and Iron Fist, has passed away at 82. Her co-stars paid tribute on social media over the weekend.
• Madonna’s Confessions II debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart with 134,000 equivalent album units, marking her first new album in seven years.
• Sacha Baron Cohen brought his Ali G character to Wimbledon over the weekend, sparking speculation about a new project in the works.
• England’s World Cup victory over Norway drew the biggest UK audience of the tournament so far, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to send England to the semi-finals. The match set a new viewership record for the 2026 World Cup in the UK.
• Married at First Sight Season 20 premiered with a major overhaul — new experts, a fresh format, and a move to Peacock as the show’s exclusive streaming home.

The Bottom Line

It was a weekend of extremes — Disney has a disaster on its hands with Moana, while Lionsgate is celebrating its first billion-dollar film. Marvel fans finally got their first real look at Doctor Doom, and Toy Story 5 keeps marching toward yet another milestone. If this weekend proved anything, it’s that the box office is as unpredictable as ever. One film’s massive failure is another’s historic success, and the audience continues to vote with their wallets in ways that even the biggest studios can’t always predict.