Dwayne Johnson Defends ‘Moana’ After Bad Reviews: ‘Just the Way It Goes’
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- Dwayne Johnson responded to poor reviews of the live-action 'Moana' remake in People, recalling that the film's first two reviews were 'amazing' before reception turned negative, adding 'that's just the way it goes because we're in this business'
- Johnson said he and his wife had late-night discussions at their kitchen island about looking beyond the opening weekend 'noise' that was happening at the time
- Moana scored 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42% on Metacritic, though Variety's Owen Gleiberman was among kinder critics, writing that the remake 'earns a place alongside' the original
- Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro acknowledged during the Aug. 5 earnings call that 'Moana's' box office was soft, but framed franchise investments as fueling 'other parts of our company' alongside 'Mandalorian and Grogu'
- Per Variety's reporting, the live-action 'Moana' could lose at least $100 million during its theatrical run
Why it matters: New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro publicly conceded 'Moana' underperformed at the box office on his first earnings call — naming it alongside 'Mandalorian and Grogu' as franchise films that missed expectations. With a potential $100 million theatrical loss and a 31% Rotten Tomatoes score, Disney's costly bet on remaking animated classics just absorbed its highest-profile rebuke yet.
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