“Moana” and “Evil Dead” Off to a Slow Start at the Box Office

None of the weekend’s major theatrical releases managed to meet analysts’ initial projections. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney’s live-action Moana and the horror sequel Evil Dead: Burn are both underperforming against early expectations.

Preliminary estimates suggest that Moana will pull in approximately $42 million during its domestic opening weekend. For Disney, such a start is viewed as lackluster, particularly given a production budget reported to exceed $200 million. However, the studio remains hopeful that international markets will offset the sluggish domestic intake, as films featuring Dwayne Johnson historically maintain strong appeal abroad.

Evil Dead: Burn has also fallen short of forecasts. Rather than the projected $25–30 million, the latest installment in the franchise is on track for a debut of roughly $15 million, significantly trailing the opening figures of its predecessor, Evil Dead Rise.

Despite the underwhelming launches for both titles, industry analysts suggest it is too early to draw definitive conclusions. Family-oriented films like Moana often benefit from long-term word-of-mouth success, whereas horror projects typically rely much more heavily on their initial opening window.

Source: Film.ru