{"id":4130,"date":"2026-07-13T22:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4130"},"modified":"2026-07-13T22:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:07:08","slug":"listen-why-moana-marks-a-disney-misstep-young-washington-director-jon-erwin-on-making-indie-films-work-at-the-multiplexes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4130","title":{"rendered":"LISTEN: Why \u2018Moana\u2019 Marks a Disney Misstep; \u2018Young Washington\u2019 Director Jon Erwin on Making Indie Films Work at the Multiplexes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tOn today\u2019s episode of \u201cDaily Variety\u201d podcast, in our weekly Box Office segment, <em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s\u00a0Rebecca Rubin unpacks what went wrong with Disney\u2019s \u201cMoana\u201d live-action remake. And Jon Erwin, the filmmaker behind \u201cYoung Washington,\u201d explains how his Wonder Project banner is making indie theatrical films work as a business.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4128\">\u2018Hotel Transylvania 5\u2019 Sets October 2027 Release Date<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"pmc-protected-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"180\" id=\"pmc-protected-embed-2\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/strictly-business\/daily-variety-box-office-moana-is-disney-misstep-young-washington-director-jon-erwin-on-making-indies-work-at-the-multiplexes\/embed?media=audio&amp;size=wide&amp;style=cover\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe box office dynamic around \u201cMoana\u201d seems to be a simply a case of too much too soon. Disney just released a \u201cMoana\u201d sequel in 2024. The live-action remake didn\u2019t offer much urgency to get families to the multiplexes. The film\u2019s hefty $250 million budget makes it an uphill climb after a modest start of $43 million.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cWhen you look at something like \u2018Lilo and Stitch,\u2019 the live action remake that opened last summer \u2014 it was a huge hit. It made a billion dollars, but it was produced for just $100 million. And so if \u2018Moana\u2019 had also cost around $100 million, I think we would be having a very different conversation,\u201d Rubin says. \u201cBut with a budget that\u2019s $250 million, it needs to make around $600 million globally to justify that price tag. And it\u2019s pretty unrealistic to assume it\u2019s going to get anywhere near that number.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAs for the why of it, Rubin says it comes down to timing. \u201cThis kind of underscores the fact that there is such a thing as too soon. Even though \u2018Moana\u2019 is extremely popular, the movie came out a decade ago, which you\u2019d think would be enough time to build nostalgia. I think the problem is that they had the animated sequel less than two years ago, which was a huge success. It made over a $1 billion. And so I think people felt like they had just seen this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tErwin, a filmmaker and co-founder of Wonder Project, explains how the company has made the theatrical business model work for the purpose-focused content firm that launched in 2021. \u201cYoung Washington\u2018s\u201d strong opening is a mile marker for the company. Erwin\u2019s passion for the subject matter helped propel him to the ambitious biopic that focuses on George Washington\u2019s formative years.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4126\">David Zaslav Files to Sell $59 Million More in Warner Bros. Discovery Stock<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cThe goal [with Wonder Project] is just to tell stories that restore faith in things worth believing in,\u201d Erwin says. <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI just wanted to write a love letter to America for our 250th anniversary. It\u2019s a singular moment in our in our lifetimes, and I had gotten obsessed with the story of the American Revolution. It started about a decade ago. I was in New York working and I could not get in to \u2018Hamilton.\u2019 It was sold out,\u201d he recalls. \u201cSo I\u2019m like, I\u2019ll read all the books that it was based on. So I started with Washington and, and then I just got thoroughly obsessed with the story of the American Revolution. And so I found this unknown, by and largem chapter in Washington\u2019s life when he was younger that defined his character. And so I thought this would be a great way to start telling America\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n<em>(Pictured: Jon Erwin)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<strong><em>Listen to Daily Variety<\/em><\/strong><em><strong>\u00a0on\u00a0iHeartPodcasts,\u00a0Apple Podcasts, Variety\u2019s\u00a0YouTube Podcast\u00a0channel,\u00a0Amazon Music,\u00a0Spotify\u00a0and other podcast platforms.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4124\">New \u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Merch Drop Includes Collectible Huntr\/x Singing Dolls<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On today&#8217;s &#8216;Daily Variety&#8217; podcast, why &#8216;Moana&#8217; was a Disney misstep; &#8216;Young Washington&#8217; filmmaker Jon Erwin on how to make movies work for indies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[775,2843,2754],"class_list":["post-4130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-daily-variety","tag-jon-erwin","tag-young-washington"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LISTEN: Why \u2018Moana\u2019 Marks a Disney Misstep; 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