Moana's live action remake failed to make a splash at the box office as movie fans call it a 'lifeless carbon copy'

Moana had a disappointing weekend at the box office, only making $95 million from its huge $250 million budget

The live action remake currently sits at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes

Fans have criticized Moana for being an exact replica of the beloved animated movie

Moana set sail for theaters recently, but its opening weekend was a poor performance for one of July's biggest new movies.

The original Moana movie was a huge success for Disney, bringing in $687.2 million at the global box office. But based on the opening weekend, it doesn't feel like the 2026 live action remake will be following in its footsteps.

At the time of writing, the new Moana has only made $95 million on its huge $250 million budget, making it one of Disney's poorest performing movies.

It has also received a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score of 33%, with its critics consensus saying: "The sea calls to no one in this underwhelming new version of Moana, an endeavor that solidifies its animated predecessor as the superior adventure."

Moana has been branded 'lifeless' by viewers

Many fans of the original Moana movie have expressed their disappointment, describing the new live action version as being flat and a "carbon copy" of the original, per this scathing review by Associated Press.

Fans on X have also had a lot to say, with some wonder what the point in making a live action movie for Moana was. There's been plenty of backlash, making it a disappointing entry into Disney's library.

Another X user commented on how their main issue was the lack of quality, noting that nothing about the Moana live action was better than the original. They also cited The Lion King and Aladdin as having "new elements that justified their existence", but claimed that Moana did not have this.

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Finally, another user pointed out that they'd rather watch the Snow White remake over Moana. Snow White also underperformed at the box office, but has a slightly higher Rotten Tomatoes score of 39%.

If you want to see for yourself, Moana is now playing in theaters globally. But judging by initial reports, you might want to head to Disney+ to check out the original, and it's admittedly very good sequel, Moana 2.

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Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd.