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Disney’s live-action Moana may not go far at the box office, with its relatively low projections compounded by some dismal first reactions. Disney’s live-action remakes have proved to be a mixed bag both critically and commercially, but things seemed to be on an upward trajectory again with the success of Lilo & Stitch (2025). The movie received solid reviews (72% on Rotten Tomatoes) and pulled in over $1 billion at the box office, making it one of the bigger hits since the Mouse House started doing these remakes.
That leads us to Moana, which is notable for being the most recent animated movie to get the live-action treatment, with the original having been released just 10 years ago. Starring Catherine Laga’aia in the title role, alongside the returning Dwayne Johnson as Maui, the first reactions to the movie have now been revealed after its premiere, and they’re not exactly glowing. A lot of them focus on the fact that it’s rather pointless, as a shot-for-shot remake that, per these takes, is visually much worse than the animated version and just doesn’t have the same spark or magic.
MOANA (2026) shows just how far Disney will go for a quick and easy buck, producing another unnecessary, nearly shot-for-shot, beat-for-beat live-action remake that doesn’t offer anything new that wasn’t already done better just ten years ago. The visuals are so flat, with a… pic.twitter.com/wU4Klj2iYn
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) July 8, 2026
#Moana (2026) is PATHETIC!
A shot-for-shot, line-by-line remake without a single original idea. A creatively bankrupt cash grab with ZERO interesting direction. They don't innovate; they imitate.
Why watch this when Moana (2016) is on Disney+?! A soulless, miserable financial… pic.twitter.com/HmeyrJxe3X
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) July 8, 2026
MOANA (2026) takes one Disney’s most vibrant films of the revival era and turns it into one of the ugliest movies of the year. The photorealistic style takes more than it gives. Worse, it just doesn’t even pretend to have any new ideas.
Full review tomorrow for @DiscussingFilm! pic.twitter.com/7klsc944rc
— tyler “llewyn” taing (@tylerllewtaing) July 8, 2026
Disney's Moana remake is, at best, a cheap imitation and, at worst, weaker in every conceivable way. Two decent performances from Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson allow the film to ride on the success of its original, but as with every Disney remake, I ask: what's the point? pic.twitter.com/baTg6xqSLQ
— Cole Groth (@cole_groth) July 8, 2026
If you’re curious what #Moana would be like slower, darker & less whimsical, boy, have I got a movie for you.
The live-action remake captures some of what made the original so magical with its song scenes, but the rest of it never finds the right tone. Laga'aia innocent. pic.twitter.com/XptkwT9E6p
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) July 8, 2026
However, not all of the reactions are bad. There is a considerable amount of praise for Laga’aia’s performance and her chemistry with Johnson, while some actually do like the visuals. The songs are also one of the highlights, which isn’t surprising given they’re so great in the animated movie – and composer Mark Mancina and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda both returned. Ultimately, the more positive skewing takes suggest if you like the animated movie, you’ll probably like this enough.
Honestly a little surprised to admit how much I enjoyed the live-action Moana. Catherine Laga'aia does a great job continuing the legacy (& has incredible comedic chemistry with Dwayne Johnson). There are some truly stunning shots. Gosh I love this story. #Moana pic.twitter.com/ouaxPgTi87
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) July 8, 2026
MOANA is the same as the animated. Which is what I've always wanted from these. For the most part it is fun! Got me at the same parts & Lin-Manuel Miranda's music is sublime. Catherine Laga'aia is a perfect Moana but the Rock is out shined by her at every point. Not enough Pua. pic.twitter.com/doZXh2p4Jg
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) July 8, 2026
#Moana follows the Live-Action Disney Adaptation formula for better and for worse. First off Catherine Laga'aia comes into her own as the title character and I really liked her chemistry with The Rock. Some of the musical sequences are effective and will bring back the magic. pic.twitter.com/itYmitM0uW
— Sam Bussell (@BussellSamuel) July 8, 2026
#Moana live-action genuinely surprised me with how good it was. It stayed faithful to the original while adding meaningful moments. Catherine Laga’aia is captivating as Moana. The chemistry between her & Dwayne Johnson is fantastic. Their dynamic feel so natural and heartfelt pic.twitter.com/zUuW5uGUWO
— Wendy Lee Szany (@WendyLeeSzany) July 8, 2026
Is Disney’s Live-Action Moana Already Doomed?
The first reactions don’t paint an entirely positive picture, and that’s just in keeping with what hasn’t been a stellar build up to this movie. The Moana trailers haven’t exactly been great, in particular receiving criticism for the dull visuals and, somewhat comically, Johnson’s wig and bodysuit for the live-action Maui.
It also hasn’t caught much traction yet at the box office in terms of pre-sales: it is currently heading for a global opening weekend of $130-140 million, with around $60m of that domestic, on an estimated $200m+ budget. For context, Lilo & Stitch opened at $146m domestically in its three-day weekend, and Moana 2 had a three-day domestic opening of $139.7m. Both of those were holiday weekends, which gave them an advantage, and they each went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide. The original Moana had a more modest $56.6m domestic opening, but that was before it became a franchise, and it still went on to gross over $600m worldwide, before becoming a major success on Disney+ years later.
| Year | Movie | 3-Day Opening (Domestic) | Total Opening (Worldwide) | Final Box Office (Worldwide) | Rotten Tomatoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Moana | $56.6m | $99.3m* | $687.2m | 95% |
| 2024 | Moana 2 | $139.7m | $389m | $1.089bn | 61% |
| 2025 | Lilo & Stitch | $146m | $341m | $1.038bn | 72% |
Negative reactions and reviews are not necessarily the determining factor for these movies – Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and The Lion King all cleared the billion-dollar mark with rotten scores on Rotten Tomatoes – but Moana does have some other obstacles. The fact is the original is still very fresh (and beloved), and so it makes the remake seem even more unnecessary than usual. Still, that might not have been insurmountable if not for Moana 2. That was originally supposed to be a Disney+ TV show, which they then pivoted into making a theatrical feature. The live-action Moana was green lit before that decision, but is perhaps paying the price for it, because the animated franchise is still so viable.
Still, all hope is not lost for the movie. Family films are less reliant on pre-sales and typically have more walk-up business than a lot of other tentpoles, which could boost those numbers (but that is where negative reviews might have more of an impact). It could also have legs through the summer holidays: next week brings The Odyssey, which will be huge, but has an R-Rating and so isn’t something to take kids to. After that, there’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st, would you’d think would take any lingering Moana market. With Toy Story 5 and the underperforming Minions & Monsters also still in theaters, it isn’t going to be easy for the movie, but it’s not completely DOA.
Even if Moana bombs, Disney is still pressing ahead with more live-action remakes. A new version of Tangled has just started filming, while Lilo & Stitch 2 is also in the works and set for release in 2028. Things like Hercules, a Cruella sequel, and a Gaston movie have also been in various stages of development, though it’s not clear which ones will actually happen, and when. There will also be more of Moana, with it recently confirmed that Moana 3 is in the works, and after this, it might be better off sticking to an animated future.
Moana releases in theaters on July 10, 2026.
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