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Disney is deploying Taylor Swift and Moana as part of a campaign to revitalize its entertainment lineup.<\/p>\n
The company said on Wednesday that it had reached a deal with Ms. Swift to bring her blockbuster \u201cEras Tour\u201d concert movie to streaming for the first time. \u201cThe Eras Tour (Taylor\u2019s Version)\u201d will include five additional performed songs, including the fan favorite \u201cCardigan,\u201d and exclusively arrive on Disney+ on March 15.<\/p>\n
The \u201cEras Tour\u201d movie has sold more than $260 million in tickets at cinemas worldwide. In a statement, Robert A. Iger, Disney\u2019s chief executive, called it \u201celectrifying\u201d and \u201ca true phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Separately, Disney said it would release a big-screen sequel to \u201cMoana\u201d in theaters on Nov. 27. The first \u201cMoana\u201d was released in 2016 and took in $687 million against a production budget of roughly $150 million. But streaming is where the characters have really taken off. \u201cMoana\u201d was the No. 1 streaming movie of last year on any service, according to Nielsen, with 11.6 billion viewing minutes. Nielsen said streaming customers have watched almost 80 billion minutes of \u201cMoana\u201d over the last four years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Auli\u2019i Cravalho (the Polynesian princess Moana) and Dwayne Johnson (the tattooed demigod Maui) are expected to reprise their vocal roles in \u201cMoana 2.\u201d The sequel is a musical directed by Dave Derrick Jr., whose credits include \u201cRaya and the Last Dragon\u201d and \u201cEncanto.\u201d The story line for \u201cMoana 2\u201d involves an unexpected call from Moana\u2019s ancestors, which prompts her to travel \u201cto the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disney struggled at the box office last year. Its animated \u201cWish,\u201d the superhero sequel \u201cThe Marvels<\/a>\u201d and the ultraexpensive \u201cIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny\u201d were all box office failures, prompting concerns about the vitality of various Disney studios. Pixar\u2019s \u201cElemental\u201d had a disastrous opening, but was ultimately able to generate a decent $496 million worldwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n The generally poor performance \u2014 in stark contrast with prior years, when Disney released one billion-dollar-grossing movie after another \u2014 has contributed to attacks on the company by activist investors. Trian Fund Management, for instance, is waging a proxy battle for multiple board seats. Disney is trying to fight off such attempts.<\/p>\n \u201cMoana 2,\u201d initially conceived as an animated Disney+ series, joins a theatrical lineup for the year that Walt Disney Studios believes will mark a dramatic turnaround. Other planned releases include \u201cKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,\u201d \u201cDeadpool 3,\u201d \u201cInside Out 2\u201d and \u201cMufasa,\u201d a spinoff from \u201cThe Lion King.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n