The new live action Moana has reportedly been a box office miss after making $95 million within its debut weekend against a $250 million dollar budget.
With an additional $120 million in marketing, the film is expected to lose over $100 million during its run.
There have been a variety of reactions to the film, but there has been an overwhelmingly negative backlash.
When the film was released, critics had described the movie as ‘dull’ and ‘flat’.
But why has this particular Disney remake been a flop compared to other Disney live-action movies?
Timing of the film
The remake of Moana follows up only a decade after the first movie was released back in 2016 and just two years after Moana 2.
Critics argued that it was too soon for a remake as audiences hadn’t developed a sense of nostalgia for the original animation.
Some viewers stated how it felt like an obvious cash grab instead of nostalgic tribute to the original.
True to the original movie
The new live action movie stayed true to the original film. Some scenes were almost identical play by plays.
The reaction was two-fold for audiences.
On one hand, some viewers appreciated the replication of scenes from the original, saying that the visuals were bright and captivating.
“A classic! I loved it. It was visually beautiful! I’m so glad that they didn’t try to change anything from the original story. It’s perfect just the way it is,” said a viewer on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not impressed with visuals
Another critic stated how she wasn’t impressed with the visuals at all.
“Supposedly, some scenes were shot on location in Hawaii and not in a studio in Atlanta – I couldn’t tell you which,” she stated.
On another hand, some critics had stated that the new live action felt like an AI prompt.
“There is barely a moment in it which feels as if it couldn’t have been achieved by typing: ‘What if this scene from Moana was remade in live action?’ into a prompt box,” said critic Robbie Collins.
Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian had called the film a “competent but pointless and unexciting back-to-basics live-action remake” in his review.
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Positive reviews
Despite the poor reviews that were left on the movie, there were viewers who were pleased with the performances of the actors and the CGI effects of the movie.
There were positive reviews praising Catherine Laga’aia’s performance as Moana, saying how she captured the true essence of the Moana character from the original.
There were also Reddit users stating that although they are aware of critics’ negative reviews on the movie, they stated how their kids thoroughly enjoyed the movie which is what mattered the most.
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James Mario Ajero 
Mary Mae Balasanos