NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Disney’s live-action “Moana” remake heads to theaters amid poor early reviews and soft opening projections.<\/p>\n Industry experts project the film could debut at around $60 million in North American theaters this weekend, though some analysts expect an opening closer to $40 million against a reported $250 million production budget, according to Variety. It comes on the heels of last year’s “Snow White” remake, which also received widespread criticism and had similar box office projections.<\/p>\n The film officially hits theaters July 10, but early reviews have already landed the remake in rough seas. <\/p>\n “Moana” debuted with a 32% Rotten Tomatoes critics score, according to Forbes.<\/p>\n NEW STREAMING DATA PAINTS SHOCKINGLY GRIM PICTURE FOR DISNEY’S AWFUL \u2018STAR WARS\u2019 SEQUELS<\/strong><\/p>\n Dwayne Johnson attended the Los Angeles premiere of Disney\u2019s live-action “Moana” at the Hollywood Bowl July 7, 2026, in Los Angeles.<\/span> (Monica Schipper\/GA\/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n While the score has since increased to 39%, it remains one of the studio\u2019s lowest-rated adaptations, sitting just above 2022\u2019s “Pinocchio” and tied with the 39% scored by “Snow White.”<\/p>\n Critics have questioned why the film was made in the first place, with the original animated version of “Moana” debuting less than a decade ago and its sequel premiering just two years ago in 2024.<\/p>\n A reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle called the film a simple “money grab,” adding, “What\u2019s a real head-scratcher is how it can feel so lifeless with real people as compared to the animated original.”<\/p>\n CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S ‘THE ODYSSEY’ GETS OVERWHELMINGLY NEGATIVE REACTIONS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL CASTING CHOICES<\/strong><\/p>\n The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) gave the film two out of five stars, writing that the final product felt as if it were created by artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n “This was, by all appearances, an incredibly costly and labour-intensive production, yet there is barely a moment in it which feels as if it couldn\u2019t have been achieved by typing: \u2018What if this scene from Moana was remade in live action?\u2019 into a video generator\u2019s prompt box,” it wrote.<\/p>\n Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson attended the launch of the “Moana Experience” at Potters Fields Park on June 30, 2026, in London, England.<\/span> (Jo Hale\/WireImage)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n While a writer for the Substack publication Girl Culture said it isn’t the worst of Disney\u2019s remakes, she argued it exemplifies what\u2019s going wrong at the studio.<\/p>\n ‘SUPERGIRL’ SUFFERS CATASTROPHIC 73% DROP, GETS OBLITERATED AT BOX OFFICE BY PATRIOTIC ‘YOUNG WASHINGTON’<\/strong><\/p>\n “(Moana) isn\u2019t necessarily the worst of these remakes the studio has churned out, but somehow feels most representative of the rot at the core of this artistic project.”<\/p>\n The plot of the original “Moana” centered around a Polynesian teenager who works with the demigod Maui to save her dying island. The new version follows the exact same premise, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprises his role as Maui, only this time wearing a long, curly wig that drew criticism from some viewers online.<\/p>\n Several of Disney’s live-action remakes have delivered mixed financial results. The studio’s 2019 adaptation of “Dumbo” opened to $45 million domestically, while 2025’s “Snow White” opened to around $43 million.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n However, “Snow White” was met with multiple controversies at the time, including criticism of its portrayal of the characters with dwarfism, the film\u2019s lead actress Rachel Zegler\u2019s comments on the 1937 film and its “weird” love story and her comments on the situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n The studio did find success with the live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch,” which crossed the $1 billion mark after its release last year.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to Walt Disney Studios for comment but did not immediately hear back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Dwayne](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/dwayne-johnson-moana-fox-news.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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