Dwayne Johnson reacts to the mixed reviews received by Disney's live-action Moana

Dwayne Johnson has spoken up after Disney‘s live-action remake of Moana failed to be successful at the box office. The actor played Maui in the 2026 movie, the same character he had voiced in the original 2016 animated film of the same name and in the 2024 sequel.

Dwayne Johnson on Moana's underwhelming success

American actor Dwayne Johnson opens up about the mixed reviews the live-action Moana received. The reviews started off well before the dominant reaction became negative.

"Our first two reviews came out. I'll never forget it… They were amazing. I was like, wow...it went another way — as sometimes happens. That’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business", the actor told People magazine.

While there was significant anticipation before the release of the film, it did not live up to the hype, at least as far as box office numbers are concerned. The film had a production budget of $250 million but only grossed over $263 million worldwide so far.

The 54-year-old actor also recalled discussing the polar opposite reviews with his wife, Lauren Hashian. "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", he said.

He added, "If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem...Because of me and our kids who can now look at the big screen and go, ‘That’s us for the first time on a big screen. That’s us up there. How cool is that?"

The live-action Moana hit the theatres on July 10, 2026, bringing back the beloved Disney characters in flesh and bone. Catherine Laga’aia was cast in the titular role while Dwane played Maui. The Thomas Kail directed movie also cast Frankie Adams as Sina, Rena Owen as Gramma Tala, John Tui as Chief Tui, among others.

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