Dwayne Johnson Addresses ‘Moana’ Mixed Reviews After Film Underperformed at Box Office

Dwayne Johnson is speaking out on Disney‘s live-action Moana not exactly being a hit with critics. The Smashing Machine star added that he and his wife, Lauren Hashian, had many conversations about the response.

But what meant the most to him was that “the culture really stood up,” as Johnson is of Samoan heritage. 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.

What Happened

Catherine Laga’aia starred in the title role, taking over from Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced the character in the animated films. Johnson reprised his role as Maui in the live-action adaptation.

• Johnson, who voiced Maui in the original 2016 animated film Moana and its 2024 follow-up, recently spoke to People magazine about how the movie’s early reviews started positively before the reception shifted.

• The live-action Moana, released in theaters last month, earned a 31 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its audience score was significantly higher at 88 percent.

• The film, though, didn’t make waves at the box office, grossing $264 million worldwide against a reported $250 million production budget.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by The Hollywood Reporter as more details emerge