Taylor Swift heading to Disney+ and 'Moana' sequel heading to theaters

Disney is using Taylor Swift and Moana as part of a campaign to revitalize its entertainment offering.

The company said Wednesday that it had reached a deal with Ms. Swift to release her blockbuster “Eras Tour” concert film on streaming for the first time. “The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version)” will feature five additional performed songs, including fan favorite “Cardigan,” and will release exclusively on Disney+ on March 15.

The film 'The Eras Tour' has sold more than $260 million worth of tickets in cinemas around the world. Disney CEO Robert A. Iger called it “exciting” and “a true phenomenon” in a statement.

In addition, Disney said it would release a big-screen sequel to “Moana” in theaters on Nov. 27. The first “Moana” was released in 2016 and grossed $687 million against a production budget of about $150 million. But streaming is where the characters really took off. “Moana” was the No. 1 streaming movie last year on any service, with 11.6 billion minutes watched, according to Nielsen. Nielsen said streaming customers have watched nearly 80 billion minutes of “Moana” over the past four years.

Auli'i Cravalho (the Polynesian princess Moana) and Dwayne Johnson (the tattooed demigod Maui) are expected to reprise their vocal roles in “Moana 2.” The sequel is a musical directed by Dave Derrick Jr., whose credits include “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Encanto.” The storyline for “Moana 2” centers on an unexpected phone call from Moana's ancestors, prompting her to travel “to the distant seas of Oceania and to dangerous, long-lost waters.”

Disney struggled at the box office last year. The animated “Wish,” superhero sequel “The Marvels” and the ultra-expensive “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” were all box office failures, raising concerns about the vitality of several Disney studios. Pixar's “Elemental” had a disastrous opening, but ultimately grossed a respectable $496 million worldwide.

The overall poor performance — in stark contrast to previous years, when Disney released one billion-dollar movie after another — has contributed to attacks on the company by activist investors. For example, Trian Fund Management is waging a proxy battle for multiple board seats. Disney is trying to combat such attempts.

“Moana 2,” originally conceived as an animated Disney+ series, joins a theatrical lineup for the year that Walt Disney Studios says will mark a dramatic turnaround. Other planned releases include 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes', 'Deadpool 3', 'Inside Out 2' and 'Mufasa', a spin-off of 'The Lion King'.