Disney’s live-action Moana stumbled at the box office with one of the studio’s weakest live-action openings. On the other hand, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey dominated Hollywood headlines with its star-studded London premiere, and Lionsgate officially launched the global casting search for its long-awaited live-action Naruto adaptation.
Moana Does Not “Know the Way” to Its Projections
The biggest headline from last week was Disney’s live-action Moana which fell well short of expectations despite its $250 million budget. Directed by Thomas Kail and starring Catherine Laga’aia alongside Dwayne Johnson, the film opened to $18 million on its first day before finishing with a $43 million domestic debut and $95 million worldwide, missing projections of $65 to $69 million domestically and $130 million globally.
The opening now ranks among Disney’s weakest live-action debuts, alongside Dumbo ($46 million) and Snow White ($42.2 million).
According to Deadline, the film is now projected to cost Disney between $100 million and $125 million. Despite an A-minus CinemaScore, it holds a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score. Industry observers have largely blamed franchise fatigue, noting Moana 2 arrived less than two years ago, a third animated film is already expected, and the remake closely mirrors the original.
Competition also worked against the film. Toy Story 5 and Minions and Monsters remained in theaters, while The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are set to follow, leaving Moana on track to meet or exceed its projected losses.
Nolan Opens The Odyssey in London
While Disney was facing Moana’s disappointing debut, Christopher Nolan spent much of the week dominating headlines with the world premiere of The Odyssey at London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.
A giant Trojan horse stood outside the venue, the carpet featured sandy Aegean-inspired colours, and the assembled cast was arguably the most star-studded lineup Leicester Square had seen all year.
Nolan addressed the audience before the screening, telling the crowd he had grown up watching films in Leicester Square and had spent years dreaming of making something worthy of that very screen.
Earlier on the red carpet, the cast reflected on the scale of the production.
Tom Holland, combining both his and his wife Zendaya’s screen credits, said that nothing in either of their careers compared to The Odyssey, describing it as an entirely new experience. Benny Safdie said the film came together in a way that made all of Nolan’s previous work feel like preparation, praising how it blended so many different styles and genres.
Matt Damon described the production as so epic and demanding that the three-hour film felt like making six or seven movies in one. Robert Pattinson discussed the project’s technical challenges while praising Nolan’s composure throughout production, and John Leguizamo credited the director’s approach and expertise with elevating his performance.
Although the premiere took place on Monday, Nolan and The Odyssey remained at the centre of conversation throughout the week. The filmmaker continued to address controversies surrounding the film, from its casting choices to its dialogue, ultimately encouraging audiences to watch it and make up their own minds. The film opens in theaters this Friday.
Neon Sells Stake to Department M and Expands Its Ambitions
While much of the week’s attention centered on Disney’s Moana and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Neon quietly completed one of the industry’s most strategically significant business deals.
The specialty distributor behind back-to-back Palme d’Or winners Parasite and Anora, and the recent acquisition of Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial after Amazon MGM dropped the project, has sold a significant stake to production company Department M.
The deal, which had reportedly been under discussion since February, keeps Neon founder Tom Quinn in place as CEO. Department M partner Michael Schaefer joins as chief content officer, while Mike Larocca becomes a member of Neon’s board. Jeff Deutchman remains president of acquisition, production and development for film, and Department M’s Carina Sposato joins as executive vice president of television.
Existing investor The Friedkin Group remains a significant shareholder and board member. Financial terms were not disclosed, although the investment has been described as meaningful growth capital.
The funding will primarily support the launch of Neon TV, the company’s new television division.
The agreement also comes as reports continue to circulate that Neon is exploring a UK distribution launch, with Sony Pictures Classics executive Danny Perkins reportedly consulting on the initiative.
The proposed operation is expected to remain selective and lean rather than establishing a full local distribution network, making it plausible that the Department M investment and the UK expansion are part of the same long-term growth strategy.
Naruto Finally Begins Casting
More than a decade after Lionsgate acquired the film rights to Naruto, and two years after Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to write, direct and produce the adaptation, the project has finally reached its most significant milestone.
Cretton announced on Instagram that a global casting search has officially begun for Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, the three central members of Team 7. Casting for additional characters will take place later.
Arad Productions and Hisako will produce the film, with Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu representing Arad Productions alongside Jeyun Munford through Hisako. Jeffrey Latcham also joins the project as a producer.
Series creator Masashi Kishimoto has publicly endorsed the adaptation, expressing enthusiasm about seeing his characters brought to the big screen.
With Cretton’s track record across two of Marvel’s most technically ambitious films, the adaptation enters production with considerable confidence behind the camera.
Key Takeaway
The week’s biggest stories highlighted how strategy and audience demand continue to shape Hollywood’s fortunes. While The Odyssey and Naruto generated excitement through anticipation.
Moana showed that even a major franchise can struggle if audiences feel a remake arrives too soon. Meanwhile, Neon’s latest deal underscored the value of long-term planning and investment.
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