Moana 2 Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Shows That People Love It As Much As The Original Movie

The Rotten Tomatoes audience score for Moana 2 shows that people love the sequel as much as the original 2016 movie. The Polynesian heroine is back in action, responding to a call from her wayfinding ancestors in hopes of reconnecting with other islands. Despite being the most anticipated movie from Disney, the critical reviews of Moana 2 have been lukewarm compared to the near-unanimous acclaim of the original. For example, Screen Rant’s Mae Abdulbaki gave the sequel a 6 out of 10 stars, stating: “… there are certain aspects of the story โ€” namely, the villain and his motivations โ€” that stand in the filmโ€™s way of true greatness.”




With Moana 2 now out in theaters, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score has been revealed. Based on over 1000 audience ratings, the Popcornmeter is currently at 88%, which is just one point below the original 2016’s 89%. However, the audience score is a stark contrast to the critical score, which is holding at 66%.

Moana Movies

RT Critical Score

RT Audience Score

Moana (2016)

95%

89%

Moana 2 (2024)

66%

88%


What The Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Means For Moana 2

Audiences Are Enjoying The Sequel Despite Its Noticeable Flaws


Overall, it appears that the general audience is satisfied with the sequel, even forgiving some of the noticeable flaws in comparison to critics. Some of the common issues noted by moviegoers include the loose plot, unimportant side characters, and the soundtrack. In particular, many reviewers commented that Lin Manuel Miranda’s lack of involvement was apparent due to the song not being as catchy as the original. Nevertheless, it seems that most moviegoers were able to overlook those issues and that younger audiences, like children, enjoyed the movie overall.

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Moana 2 getting a better reception from the audience is important since this will help with word-of-mouth. While the sequel is already breaking plenty of preview records and is expected to crush more with the Thanksgiving weekend, it also faces hefty competition in the coming weeks. The sequel is already competing with Gladiator II and Wicked, which were released the weekend before, while Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will cater to the same target audience as the Disney movie when they drop in December.

Our Thoughts On Moana 2’s Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

What Matters Is If People Felt Entertained

Moana looking at a broken pot in Moana 2
Image via Disney

While I noticed a quality difference between Moana 2 and the original 2016 movie, I’m still happy that the audience, particularly families, had a good time with the sequel. It’s worth a reminder that movies are subjective, so it’s not surprising that people still enjoyed the new Disney movie. Moana remains the charismatic and strong character that people remember and love, and the sequel once again does a fine job showcasing Polynesian culture.


Still, I don’t expect Moana 2 to become a major award contender like the original since the shortcomings were evident, and a lot of that could be derived from the sudden change from the TV to movie format. However, as long as people are enjoying the movie, this improves the case for a Moana 3 to be greenlit, especially given the tease from the mid-credits scene.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes