There are some myths you hear repeated so many instances during your life, you assume they must be true.
People should drink eight glasses of water per day.
George Washington had picket tooth.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is America’s favourite actor.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has become 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 anywhere that I’ve heard so much 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? — constantly underwhelms where it issues most: at the field workplace. And yet he’s still one of Hollywood’s highest paid performers. In 2024, Johnson really held the No. 1 slot, taking residence a reported $88 million.
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It certain does pay to be the Scorpion King of Flops.
The man’s made so many bombs, he could be a weapons manufacturing facility.
Johnson’s newest venture 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 music “You’re Welcome,” which has been extensively shared on-line, will 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 high paid, grossed a measly $186 million against a huge price range 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 the comedy “Free Guy” added to the resume of monetary failures. His snooze-o-rama try at a status image in 2025, “The Smashing Machine,” got 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 going through several sudden hurdles.
One is that good performing appeals without end, while enjoyable personalities do not. Johnson is a star, not an actor, and the public chews up personas and spits ‘em out with out a second thought.
His monotonous, macho, eyebrow-dependent performances have worn skinny. And his repetitive schtick, much as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s was after a while, is of a totally different time. Sorry, Dwayne, the tradition has moved on. You should’ve ran for governor of California.
Another drawback is a shift no one saw coming. Gen. Z has put down their telephones and are really going to the motion pictures. In truth, the younger cohort is the most energetic moviegoing demographic immediately, 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 were only 5 years outdated. They don’t bear in mind, know or care aobut his WWE days, where his nickname came 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 previous 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 main attracts are Tom Holland, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet.
Or perhaps 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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