The live action Moana trailer reached 182 million views within the first 24 hours. Fans rushed to watch the clip as soon as it dropped. Disney announced the number on its official channels. This makes the trailer the second most viewed Disney live action trailer ever, trailing only the 2019 Lion King teaser.
When we look at all trailers released this year, Moana lands in third place for first day traffic. Fantastic Four: First Family earned 202 million views. The Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer logged 185 million views. Moana sits just behind those two, but ahead of every other Disney live action preview.
Online comments show strong excitement for the return of Maui and Moana. Viewers praised the vivid ocean scenes and tropical island landscapes. Many said the trailer captured the spirit of the original animated film while promising fresh adventure.
What we know about the upcoming film
Director Thomas Kail, a Tony winner, leads the live action project. Catherine Laga’aia plays the title role. Dwayne Johnson returns as the demigod Maui. The story follows Moana as she answers the ocean’s call and sails beyond the reef of Motunui. She teams up with Maui on a quest to restore prosperity to her people and meets the quirky Kakamora tribe.
Production and talent
The film is produced by Dwayne Johnson, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Lin‑Manuel Miranda. Miranda also wrote original songs for the 2016 animated hit. Kail joins the executive producers Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original movie.
Box office legacy and future expectations
The 2016 animated Moana earned $643.3 million worldwide. Its sequel, Moana 2, pulled in $1.059 billion, bringing the franchise total to $1.7 billion. Moana 2 alone generated $415 million in profit and drove the most Disney merchandise sales in 2024. The original film also logged about 1.4 billion hours of streaming on Disney+, the highest for any Disney title.
With a July 10, 2026 release date, the live action version promises to add another strong chapter to the franchise. Analysts expect the film to open to a large audience, especially after the record‑breaking trailer performance.
Source: Deadline
