Dwayne Johnson Reacts To Live-Action Moana Failure

Actor Dwayne Johnson is weighing in on the lukewarm reception to Disney’s recent live-action remake of Moana, saying it’s “just the way it goes.”

After voicing the role of demigod Maui in the beloved 2016 animated original and its 2024 sequel, Johnson reprised the character in the live-action remake, for which he also served as an executive producer.

However, the reception to this new version of the film wasn’t exactly what Disney had hoped. It was released in cinemas on July 10th and has since underperformed at the box office, only grossing around $263 million worldwide against its $250 million budget. As for reviews, the film has earned a mixed 32% approval rating from critics and 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and currently sits at a 2.7-star average from users on Letterboxd.

Read our review of the live-action Moana here →

In a new interview with People, Johnson says:

“Our first two reviews came out. I’ll never forget it… They were amazing. I was like, ‘Wow.’ [Then] it went another way, as sometimes happens. That’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business.

The challenge was, okay, let’s remember, though, what’s going to be beyond this opening weekend. Let’s remember what’s happening right now and the noise that’s happening right now. If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem.”

Johnson then added that what “really mattered” was “the culture really stood up,” saying Moana‘s Polynesian-inspired world is “why the movie was made.”

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Moana‘s “failure” at the box office will change how Disney approaches future live-action remakes, since past failures with remakes like Marc Webb‘s Snow White and Tim Burton’s Dumbo, for example, didn’t seem to have a lasting impact on the studio.

Moana is still showing in cinemas in the UK.