Dwayne Johnson Shrugs Off Moana's Poor Reviews: 'Just the Way It Goes'

Dwayne Johnson has responded to the lukewarm reception greeting Disney's live-action Moana, and he is not losing any sleep over it. Speaking in an exclusive interview with People magazine, Johnson called the film's negative critical reception "just the way it goes" in the entertainment business (Deadline).

The live-action remake, directed by Thomas Kail and released on July 10, currently sits at 32% on Rotten Tomatoes — the aggregator site where critics' scores are collected and averaged. Johnson, who voiced the demigod Maui in Disney's 2016 animated original and reprised the role in live action a decade later, recalled that the first two reviews were "amazing" before things "went another way, as sometimes happens" (Deadline).

There is a split between critics and ticket-buyers. Variety reported that while critics leaned negative, the majority of audience reviews were positive (Variety via Facebook). Rotten Tomatoes' own Instagram account gave the film an 8/10, calling it "a beautiful family adventure that's well worth the voyage" while noting it does not offer much that is new (Rotten Tomatoes via Instagram).

What mattered most to Johnson, though, was not the critics' scorecard. He said "the culture really stood up" for the Polynesian-inspired story, and that was what "really mattered" to him (Deadline).

The box office tells a tougher story. The live-action Moana has grossed $266 million worldwide — a figure that trade outlets including IGN have characterised as an underperformance, or outright bomb, for a Disney live-action remake (Deadline; IGN). Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro addressed the low theatrical turnout in a letter to shareholders, writing that the film is "expected to be a strong title on Disney+" — the company's streaming platform, where library films find a second life after their theatrical window closes (Deadline).

The film does have its champions. Deadline's own review in July praised the casting of newcomer Catherine Laga'aia alongside Johnson as a "dynamic pair" and said the digital effects were strong without becoming distracting (Deadline).

For Johnson, the arithmetic is simpler than the reviews suggest. A Polynesian story found a Polynesian audience that showed up for it. The critics did not. In his telling, that is the side of the ledger he is reading.