‘The Odyssey’ Proves It: Audiences Want Movies Made the Hard Way | This year's breakouts like 'Project Hail Mary' and 'Obsession' were made by filmmakers who sweated. While CG-stuffed franchise disappointments such as 'Supergirl,' 'Moana,' and 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' looked lazy.

[u/ChiefLeef22]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/odyssey-box-office-2026-practical-effects-1236652219/

[u/Good-Cap-7632]

Kid movies work differently. Parents want movies they know are safe to take their kids to so franchise sequels are always popular.

[u/CrunchyKorm → u/Good-Cap-7632]

Some do. Moana flopped

[u/kodman7 → u/CrunchyKorm]

I think because Moana was the first one that had 0 nostalgia bait compared to the other live action remakes. I know several childless millennials who went to see those to relive the magic, Moana offers none of that

[u/iSavedtheGalaxy → u/kodman7]

All of my friends with kids said they preferred the cartoon version of Moana bc it's way more colorful and lively than the live action (and they all hated The Rock as live action Maui lol).

[u/WeirdIndividualGuy → u/kodman7]

There are kids today that were just younger kids when the original Moana came out. Terrible decision on Disney’s part to make this movie

[u/abeuscher → u/CrunchyKorm]

The live action Disney movies in general have really sucked. I know it's not a sequel, but it is in a group of films that just don't work. Jon Favreau kind of did everyone a disservice in making the Jungle Book so good. They never really figured out how to recreate that formula and he moved into the Star Wars and Marvel universes.

[u/CrunchyKorm → u/abeuscher]

I'm not disagreeing on the quality argument, but a lot of the live actions movies prior to Moana this year made a ton of money.

[u/DegenerateCrocodile → u/CrunchyKorm]

Remakes can be hit or miss. Disney’s LA remakes have been around long enough to have a reputation for being near shot-for-shot retellings of the original with uncanny visuals. Some parents would prefer to save money and just stream the original at home at that point.

Moana also has the fact that the original is less than 10 years old working against it.

[u/vhanw342 → u/CrunchyKorm]

Moana is girls movie, as bad as that may sound. So it’s harder

[u/OriginalNeat4015 → u/vhanw342]

That’s never held classic Disney in particular back, including the live-actions, it’s most of their brand. It’s logical to conclude that superhero movies flop based on female presence—but not their “princess” ones.

Main reason Moana flopped is because no one wanted it. The animated franchise is still ongoing, its second movie released a few years ago and the first one just a decade ago—no time to build nostalgia. It’s a 1:1 copy of the original, nothing new to offer besides uglier visuals. The Rock doesn’t look good as Maui. People didn’t like the lead actress’s acting. It’s a better experience in pretty much every way to just watch the original instead.

Most people who do want to watch the live-action will wait for it to come to Disney+.

[u/ImaginaryFan6090 → u/vhanw342]

How is it a girl's movie? Because of a female protagonist? Stupid take

[u/vhanw342 → u/ImaginaryFan6090]

Most little boys do not want to see this movie. That’s what I mean by a girls movie

[u/Pyro-Bird → u/Good-Cap-7632]

The live-action Moana and the animated SpongeBob film bombed.

[u/FireZord25 → u/Good-Cap-7632]

Something tells me Moana wasn't carried by Disney nearly as much as it's other live action catalogues.

[u/AdSilly3018 → u/Good-Cap-7632]

Supergirl fits in that criteria though, this post is just stupid admit it.