Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Disney made a new movie. It is a live-action version of Moana, with real actors instead of cartoons.
The movie did not make much money on its first weekend. It made only 43 million dollars in the United States.
The movie cost 250 million dollars to make. That is a lot more money than it earned.
Critics did not like the movie very much. Many people liked the first cartoon Moana movie much better.
- live-action
- A movie made with real actors, not animation
- remake
- A new version of an older movie
- opening weekend
- The first few days a movie is shown in theaters
- budget
- The amount of money used to make something
- critic
- A person who reviews and judges movies, books, or art
- box office
- The total money a movie earns from ticket sales
- domestic
- Related to one's own country, not other countries
- animation (cartoon)
- A style of filmmaking using drawn or computer-made images
Level 2 — Elementary
Disney's live-action remake of Moana had a disappointing opening weekend, earning just $43 million from theaters across North America.
The film also struggled overseas, adding only $52 million internationally for a worldwide total of $95 million, far below what the studio had hoped for given its reported $250 million production budget.
Critics were harsh, giving the movie a score of just 34 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the lowest-rated live-action Disney remakes ever released.
The result places live-action Moana alongside 2025's Snow White as one of the weakest opening weekends among Disney's live-action remakes, and it even earned less on opening weekend than the original 2016 animated Moana.
- disappointing
- Not as good as expected or hoped
- internationally
- In or relating to countries outside one's own
- production budget
- The total amount of money spent to create a film
- harsh (criticism)
- Severe or unkind in judgment
- score (rating)
- A number or percentage given to rate the quality of something
- release (film)
- The act of making a movie available to the public
- opening weekend earnings
- The money a film makes in its first few days in theaters
- studio
- A company that produces movies
Level 3 — Intermediate
Disney's live-action remake of Moana debuted to a disappointing $43 million from roughly 3,827 North American theaters, a result the studio had not anticipated given the built-in audience for the beloved 2016 animated original.
The film fared no better abroad, contributing $52 million internationally for a combined worldwide opening of $95 million, a figure that falls well short of expectations for a production with a reported $250 million budget.
Reviews proved unforgiving: the film holds just a 34 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of any direct live-action Disney remake, with critics describing it as a paint-by-numbers adaptation that adds little to the original.
The underwhelming debut leaves live-action Moana contending with 2025's Snow White for the unfortunate distinction of Disney's weakest live-action remake opening, a stumble made more striking by its proximity to Moana 2, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide less than two years earlier.
- debut (verb)
- To make a first appearance or opening
- built-in audience
- A group of fans already familiar with and likely to support a work
- fare (verb)
- To perform or do in a particular way
- unforgiving (reviews)
- Harsh and without leniency
- paint-by-numbers
- An idiom describing something made in a formulaic, unoriginal way
- underwhelming
- Failing to impress; less exciting than expected
- distinction
- A notable feature that sets something apart, positive or negative
- proximity
- Nearness in time, space, or relationship
Level 4 — Advanced
Disney's live-action remake of Moana debuted to a disappointing $43 million from approximately 3,827 North American theaters, a figure the studio had scarcely anticipated given the substantial built-in audience cultivated by the beloved 2016 animated original.
The film fared no better internationally, contributing $52 million abroad for a combined worldwide opening of $95 million, a sum that falls markedly short of expectations for a production carrying a reported $250 million budget.
Critical reception proved unforgiving: the film holds a mere 34 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of any direct live-action Disney remake to date, with reviewers characterizing it as a formulaic, paint-by-numbers adaptation that contributes little beyond its predecessor.
The underwhelming debut leaves live-action Moana contending with 2025's Snow White for the unenviable distinction of Disney's weakest live-action remake opening, a stumble rendered more conspicuous by its proximity to Moana 2, which had grossed upward of $1 billion worldwide less than two years prior, underscoring persistent doubts about the studio's live-action remake strategy.
- cultivate (an audience)
- To develop or build something gradually over time
- markedly
- Noticeably or clearly to a significant degree
- critical reception
- How critics respond to and evaluate a creative work
- formulaic
- Following a predictable, unoriginal pattern or formula
- predecessor
- A thing that came before another of the same kind
- unenviable
- Undesirable; not something to be envied
- conspicuous
- Standing out and easily noticeable
- underscore (emphasize)
- To draw attention to or emphasize the importance of something
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