Dwayne The Rock Johnson is one of Hollywoods…
There are some myths you hear repeated so many occasions during your life, you assume they must be true.
People ought to drink eight glasses of water per day.
George Washington had wood enamel.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is America’s favourite actor.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has grow to be the King of Flops. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
About that last one: Hollywood has clung to this tenet like fingers to a cliffside the last 10 years. It’s mystifying. I’ve never been anyplace that I’ve heard so a lot of a whisper of, “I love the Rock.”
Perhaps I’ve just been wandering into to the incorrect locations, like natural wine bars.
But, no. The 54-year-old wrestler-turned-thespian — wrespian? — persistently underwhelms where it issues most: at the box workplace. And yet he’s still one of Hollywood’s highest paid performers. In 2024, Johnson really held the No. 1 slot, taking home a reported $88 million.
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It sure does pay to be the Scorpion King of Flops.
The man’s made so many bombs, he could possibly be a weapons manufacturing unit.
Johnson’s latest project to get KO punched was last weekend’s “Moana,” Disney’s live-action remake of the 2016 cartoon, which had a three-day home opening of just $43 million and a RottenTomatoes rating of 31%. These are existential disaster numbers.
“Moana” grossed just $43 domestically in its opening weekend. Disney via AP
Conservative estimates have the catastrophe dropping $100-125 million for the studio. The video clip of Johnson’s character Maui’s track “You’re Welcome,” which has been widely shared online, may have you dropping your lunch.
“Moana” isn’t an remoted island for the Rock either.
His last 5 years, save for a couple voice roles, have been littered with duds.
Johnson’s string of duds embody “Red One.” ©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Christmas brick of coal “Red One” in 2024, the 12 months Johnson was top paid, grossed a measly $186 million against a huge funds of more than $200 million.
The godawful DC Comics film “Black Adam,” in which Johnson barely moved his face in the title position, was another bomb — and one of the ultimate nails in the DC Extended Universe coffin.
Disney’s household pleasant “Jungle Cruise” and “Red Notice” on Netflix added to the resume of failures. His snooze-o-rama attempt at a status image in 2025, “The Smashing Machine,” obtained neither butts in seats nor an Oscar nomination for him.
Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” which also starred Emily Blunt, underperformed. AP
Why is the Rock tumbling?
The man is dealing with a number of sudden hurdles.
One is that good appearing appeals ceaselessly, while enjoyable personalities don’t. Johnson is a star, not an actor, and the public chews up personas and spits ‘em out without a second thought.
His monotonous, macho, eyebrow-dependent performances have worn skinny. And his repetitive schtick, a lot as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s was after a while, is of a different time. Sorry, Dwayne, the tradition has moved on. You ought to’ve ran for governor of California.
Another downside is a shift no one noticed coming. Gen. Z has put down their telephones and are literally going to the flicks. In fact, the younger cohort is the most energetic moviegoing demographic today, with an April Fandango survey reporting that 87% of Gen Zers have attended a movie in the last 12 months.
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine.” Courtesy Everett Collection
The Rock made his first flick, “The Scorpion King, in 2002, when the oldest Gen Z members had been only 5 years previous. They don’t bear in mind, know or care aobut his WWE days, where his nickname got here from and when his fanbase was cemented.
Of his unique diehards, Gen X and Boomers, respectively 70% and 58% have been to the cinema in the past 12 months.
And Johnson’s not to Gen. Z’s style at all. They’re going to see intelligent, genuine megahits like “Backrooms” and “Obsession” — not the regurgitated worm slop that Johnson cherishes.
Really, I don’t see Johnson ever returning in triumph to his former heights of stardom. Not in a world where the major attracts are Tom Holland, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet.
Or possibly The Rock’s awful box-office fortunes will reverse when “Jumanji: Open World” hits theaters this Christmas.
Perhaps. For now, though, his Hollywood profession is an open wound.
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