The Walt Disney Company's live-action adaptation of Moana may have claimed the top position at the North American box office, but its inaugural weekend performance proved underwhelming relative to expectations. The production, which carried a reported budget of $250 million, generated a mere $43 million in domestic ticket sales. International markets contributed an additional $52 million across 50 territories, yielding a global debut of approximately $95 million.
Directed by Thomas Kail, the feature reunites Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui while introducing Australian performer Catherine Laga'aia in the role of the adventuring Polynesian princess. Despite receiving recognition for Laga'aia's portrayal, the film faced widespread critical disapproval for essentially replicating the original animated work frame by frame, resulting in a paltry 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audience reception told a notably different story. Data from PostTrak indicated that women comprised 66% of viewers, with 63% expressing strong willingness to recommend the film. Parental responses proved even more favorable, with 78% indicating they would endorse the film to other parents. The picture also secured a respectable A- CinemaScore.
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. inaugural | a. disappointing |
| 2. underwhelming | b. copying |
| 3. domestic | c. performance |
| 4. territories | d. recommendation |
| 5. reunites | e. markets |
| 6. portrayal | f. first |
| 7. replicating | g. US and Canadian |
| 8. paltry | h. made up of |
| 9. comprised | i. small |
| 10. endorsement | j. brings back |
1.f 2.a 3.g 4.e 5.j 6.c 7.b 8.i 9.h 10.d