"Moana" Teaser Becomes Second Most-Viewed Live-Action Adaptation Trailer

You see the line where the sky meets the sea? That's a promising box office return as the new Moana teaser has already amassed a nearly-record-breaking amount of views in its first 24 hours.

What’s Happening: 

• Devotees may recall that recently, the first teaser for the live-action adaptation of the 2016 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Moana, arrived. 
• According to a report in Deadline, that trailer has amassed 182 million views in its first 24 hours. 
• For a trailer from Disney for a live-action adaptation, it’s the second most-view trailer behind the first teaser for the “live-action” adaptation of The Lion King back in 2019. That movie took in 225 million views. 
• Among all the trailers that dropped this year, Moana ranks third, behind Fantastic Four: First Steps (with 220 million views) and the recent The Devil Wears Prada 2 teaser that arrived and scored 185 million views in its first day. 
• The live-action Moana is directed by Hamilton Tony winner Thomas Kail, and stars newcomer Catherine Laga’aia in the title role. 
• Dwayne Johnson is reprising the role of demigod Maui, bringing more than just his voice this time around. 
• Like the animated original, the movie follows Moana, who has been called by the ocean and for the first time in generations, sets out beyond the roof and her island home of Motonui, teaming up with Maui on a quest to restore her dying island. 

• While many fans are excited to see the new adaptation, another sect of the internet points out the shot-for-shot remake style compared to the original and ask “why?” Largely in part because we are still in the height of the animated franchise, with Moana 2 (originally set to be a Disney+ series before being transformed into a film) dropping last year in theaters and raking in $1.05 billion at the box office. Plus, anyone who has seen Moana 2 and remembered that it was originally a series clearly knows that Moana 3 is likely not too far down the road. 
• The animated original has also raked in (and continues to add to) a reported 1.4 billion hours viewed on Disney+, the most for any movie on the platform. 
• The live-action adaptation, Moana, is set to open in theaters everywhere on July 10th, 2026.