Dwayne Johnson has responded to the mixed reception for Disney’s live-action Moana after the film struggled to make a major impact at the box office.
Johnson, who played Maui in the original animated film and its 2024 sequel, discussed the movie’s early reviews in a recent interview with People.
Dwayne Johnson Reacts to Moana Reviews
Johnson recalled that the first reviews for the live-action movie were highly positive.
Our first two reviews came out. I’ll never forget it They were amazing, he said.
The reception later changed, however. Johnson said that shift reflects the unpredictable nature of the film industry.
The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney offered a more positive assessment. He described the movie as one of Disney’s stronger live-action remakes and praised it as family entertainment.
Moana Gets Strong Audience Response
The live-action Moana received a 31 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its audience score was much stronger at 88 percent.
Johnson said he and his wife, Lauren Hashian, discussed the response and focused on the film’s longer-term impact rather than the reaction to its opening weekend.
If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem,Johnson said.
Dwayne Johnson Highlights Cultural Representation
For Johnson, the movie’s cultural representation carried special importance.
The actor, who has Samoan heritage, said the response from audiences mattered to him. He highlighted the significance of seeing Pacific Islander representation on a major movie screen.
Johnson also said the film allowed his children and other young viewers to see themselves represented in a major Hollywood production.
Live-Action Moana Struggles at Box Office
Catherine Lagaaia stars as Moana in the live-action adaptation, replacing Aulii Cravalho, who voiced the character in the animated films.
Johnson returned as Maui for the new version.
Despite the franchise’s popularity, the movie earned about $264 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $250 million.
The box-office performance added to the mixed response surrounding the film, even as audiences gave it a considerably stronger rating than critics.
