Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Moana’ Could Be Star’s Latest Dud

No one stays on top of the Hollywood pile forever.

Jim Carrey. Adam Sandler. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Tom Hanks. Eddie Murphy.

The mightiest movie stars all fall back to earth eventually. Some enjoy the ride longer than others, and all deserve credit for tackling one of the most challenging tasks in pop culture.

Now, it might be Dwayne Johnson’s turn to tumble.

The actor’s 2025 drama, “The Smashing Machine,” bombed in theaters with an alarming $11 million US haul. Now, it was never going to out-perform one of the actor’s action-packed spectacles, but the film generated sizable press interest for his performance.

He even drew some Best Actor Oscar buzz. That buzz went for naught, but he still proved his dramatic range. Yet audiences collectively shrugged.

That film came after his disappointing superhero debut, 2022’s “Black Adam.” The vehicle was meant to launch his DCEU career, but its tepid box office haul ended those plans in a hurry.

He also appeared in two straight-to-streaming originals over the past five years – “Red One” and “Red Notice” that proved forgettable, at best.

Now, this.

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“Moana,” the live-action update on the 2016 sensation, opened to a terrible $4.5 million in preview sales. That projects to roughly $38-42 million for its opening weekend.

Those numbers won’t help Team Disney, which reportedly sunk $250 million into the project.

It’s another Johnson underachiever, and it comes at a crossroads in his career. The actor has slimmed down from his formerly massive frame and just signed up to star in another serious drama.

Dwayne Johnson lands another dramatic role amid his continued hunt for an Academy Award nomination. https://t.co/WvGA4v8R7e

— CBR (@CBR) July 7, 2026

That might be a smart play at this point.

Johnson is 54 but hardly looks his age. He could keep cranking out action vehicles for the next decade, following in the grand Liam Neeson/Pierce Brosnan tradition.

Will the audience follow him there, though? 

His box office status may explain why he’s resumed his apolitical mien in recent months. It might have earned him some Fake News headlines, but avoiding politics means he won’t alienate future fans.

The good news for “Moana?” It’s summertime, and kid-friendly films often have legs at the cinema. It still faces stiff competition in that arena, thanks to “Minions and Monsters” and that fifth “Toy Story” feature.

Either way, it might be another sign of Hollywood gravity. What goes up must eventually come down.

Life after superstar status can be just as rich as the pinnacle of fame. Sandler has kept working steadily, bouncing from pop hits like “Happy Gilmore 2” to sturdier fare (“Hidden Gems,” “Jay Kelly”).

The best news for the erstwhile Rock? He’s proven he can be charming, fearsome, strong and dramatic on screen. The future might be a different shade of stardom, but he can act without the burden of putting fannies in seats.

What’s your favorite Dwayne Johnson film? Do you think he’ll successfully shift from popcorn movies to serious dramas moving forward?