I’m a huge Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johndon fan, and have been long since his earliest days when he came to international prominence in the World Wrestling Federation, now WWE. Breaking into more minor roles starting with That 70’s Show in 1999 and Star Trek: Voyager in 2000, he was destined for Hollywood greatness after appearing as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (released in 2001).
Dodgy CGI aside, this led to Johnson starring in a standalone film for the same character in 2002, and in 2003 he teamed up with Sean William Scott in Welcome To The Jungle. For the next decade, he delivered some solid performances but not the blockbuster-making hits we used to seeing him in today.
In Walking Tall in 2004, a brilliant turn as a comedic character in Be Cool in 2005, and serious turns in Gridiron Gang and Southland Tales opposite Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Fast and Furious & A Decade Of Hits For The Rock
Credit: Universal Pictures
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In 2011 he joined the Fast & Furious franchise in Fast Five and was widely tipped as a reason for the series huge global success and refresh as the next two films grossed £1.2 billion at the box office. In 2013 he was named the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood.
More success came with one or two films pretty much every year since, from collaborations with Kevin Hart to revamping franchises such as Jumanji, and starring in a Disney animation, Moana.
But has he perhaps declined? For the past decade, the actor has essentially played the same character or a more melodramatic persona of himself and now continually (successfully) sells his brand via social media, Project Rock, tequila, water brands and energy drinks.
Can we see differences really in the characters in Hobbs & Shaw, Jungle Cruise, Rampage, Red Notice or Skyscraper bar a few minor details?
Box Office Failures for Dwayne Johnson
Credit: DC Studios
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In October, he launched Black Adam, a character and movie he’d been linked with since 2007. But many critics and audiences expected the same acting, the same character, just with a ‘superhero’ flavour.
The film looks set to fail to turn a profit on a budget of £170m (reported), it’s only made £268m at the moment, which is less than the 2-2.5 times that’s typically required.
Although the film hasn’t been released in China (yet), perhaps also it’s time for ‘the hardest working man in showbiz’ to take a break. To allow audiences to refresh and perhaps return to a new more serious set of roles.
Looking at his next set of films, San Andreas 2, Red One, Doc Savage, Jungle Cruise 2, and Jumanji 4, we know exactly what we will get… Will audiences begin to tire? I think they might, but I could be wrong. Let me know what you think in the comments.
What do you make of the article? Does The Rock need to take a break, or do you enjoy all of his movies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
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