Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ opens to one of studio’s worst Rotten Tomatoes scores ever

Disney’s live-action remake of “Moana” has landed among the lowest-rated titles in the studio’s live-action remake catalogue. Many reviews call the film unnecessary because it closely mirrors the 2016 original, and several critics separately note that it arrives unusually soon after “Moana 2,” which was released less than two years ago.

As of Wednesday, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score sat at 35% based on 55 reviews, putting it below last year’s widely panned “Snow White,” which settled at 39%. In the post-“Alice in Wonderland” era of Disney remakes, only “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (29%, a sequel commonly grouped with the studio’s remake cycle) and 2022’s “Pinocchio” (27%) have scored lower, according to SlashFilm.

Reviews have been blunt. One critic writing for The Independent said the film has “all the visual allure of a Febreeze advert,” according to SlashFilm’s review roundup, while others likened its visual style to artificial intelligence-generated content. Not every notice was negative — Variety’s Owen Gleiberman was among those praising the film, and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia’s performance as the title character has drawn consistent praise even from critics who disliked the movie overall.

The reception has coincided with a shrinking box office outlook. According to Deadline, “Moana” is now projected to earn just over $60 million domestically in its opening weekend, down from tracking estimates of around $85 million in late June. Trade reports place the film’s production budget between $200 million and $250 million, though Disney has not officially confirmed a figure; that does not include marketing costs. Industry analysts often estimate a film with that budget would need to earn roughly $600 million to $625 million worldwide to break even, though the actual threshold varies with marketing spend, exhibitor splits and other factors. The estimated global opening is around $130 million.

For comparison, the animated 2016 “Moana” opened to $82 million over its five-day Thanksgiving debut, with $56.6 million of that coming over the traditional Friday-to-Sunday weekend. Industry watchers say the live-action version may struggle to match even that decade-old total.

The film is directed by Thomas Kail, known for directing the stage recording of “Hamilton,” and stars Dwayne Johnson reprising his voice role of Maui in live action opposite Ms. Laga’aia in her first leading feature film role. It arrives in theaters Friday.

“Moana” joins a summer that has already produced several high-profile box-office disappointments, including “Masters of the Universe” and “Supergirl,” both of which opened below $40 million domestically.

Disney has several more live-action remakes in the pipeline, including “Tangled,” slated for 2027, along with a sequel to “Lilo & Stitch” and adaptations of “Hercules” and “The Aristocats.” Whether “Moana’s” reception prompts the studio to reconsider the pace of its remake strategy remains to be seen.