The downfall of Hollywood’s highest paid star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson amid string of box office flops
It wasn’t too long ago that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was Hollywood’s biggest and highest-paid star.
Thanks to his roles in the Fast & Furious franchise as well as blockbusters like Jumanji and Netflix’s Red Notice, the 53-year-old actor has shed his pro-wrestling past and become a major box office hit.
But Johnson has recently faced a series of devastating flops, leading some to wonder if The Rock might be relegated to the B-list.
In addition to failing commercially, the former WWE superstar also struggled to establish himself as a serious, award-worthy actor following the release of his glossy sports biopic The Smashing Machine.
Based on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, the film was written and directed by Uncut Gems famed director Benny Safdie and was touted as an Oscar vehicle for Johnson.
Unfortunately, the film was a box office disaster, earning only $10 million at the US box office despite its $50 million budget.
Critical reviews of the film were also mixed, but Johnson received near-universal praise for his performance.
Oppenheimer’s director Christopher Nolan was one of the big names backing the star, recently saying: ‘I think it’s an incredible performance. ‘I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or many other years.’
Dwayne Johnson’s blockbuster status is on the wane after a string of recent flops
Johnson addressed the film’s poor release in an emotional post last week, writing: ‘In our world of storytelling you can’t control box office results.’
He continued, ‘But I realized that what you can control is your performance and your determination to completely disappear and go somewhere else. I will always run for this opportunity.
‘It was an honor to transform into this role for my director, Benny Safdie. Thank you for believing in me, brother. The truth is that this movie changed my life.’
Smashing Machine isn’t the only flop Johnson has faced in recent years.
He starred in DC’s Black Adam series, which failed dismally both critically and commercially.
The blockbuster comic failed to achieve balance, leading Warner Bros. to decide to reboot the DC universe without Johnson’s involvement.
Johnson also failed to achieve positive results in the big-budget remake of Baywatch opposite Zac Efron.
He made another attempt to please the mainstream crowd with Disney’s Jungle Cruise in 2021, but the film barely managed to make back its $200 million budget.
Johnson has recently faced a string of devastating flops, leading some to wonder if The Rock will be relegated to the B-list.
Despite an acclaimed performance, Johnson’s The Smashing Machine flops at the box office
Critics and movie bros online were quick to call out Johnson’s decline at the box office.
YouTuber John Campea recently said that Johnson’s ‘reign at the box office is officially over’ and that his ‘wide appeal is clearly starting to wane’.
Despite the backlash, The Rock still has a chance to regain his place at the top of Hollywood.
It is working on sequels to its highest-grossing franchises, with Jumanji 3 coming out next year and Fast X: Part 2 coming in 2027.
A sequel to Jungle Cruise is also in the works due to the film’s strong performance on the Disney+ streaming service, which helped make up for how poorly it performed at the box office.
Johnson will also direct the live-action remake of Moana, which is expected to be a huge hit based on the billion-dollar gross of last year’s animated Moana 2.
He also starred in Black Adam, which failed dismally both critically and commercially.
Despite The Smashing Machine’s failure, Johnson is set to work with Benny Safdie on a new movie for Amazon
Outside of mainstream blockbusters, Johnson and Safdie are getting another shot together despite the failure of The Smashing Machine.
According to Deadline, Johnson will star in Safdie’s Lizard Music, which has been acquired by Amazon MGM Studios.
“We are thrilled to be partnering once again with the incredibly talented Dwayne Johnson, as well as working with the amazing creator, writer and director Benny Safdie for the first time at Lizard Music,” the studio said in a statement.
“Everyone at Amazon MGM and UA are deeply inspired by their previous collaboration on the critically acclaimed The Smashing Machine,” they continued.
‘We are thrilled to now be collaborating with them on this creative, entertaining and cinematic story; Lizard Music is a story that feels both timeless and unique. We are very lucky that they trust us as their studio partners.
