Dwayne Johnson overexposure blamed for Skyscraper's box office stumble
The actor has appeared in five movies in the last 15 months (plus the TV series Ballers)
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Your support makes all the difference.Dwayne Johnson may have just been named the second highest-earning actor of the last year (just behind George Clooney), but the infallible Rock has just sunk at the box office.
Skyscrapper, pitched as bombastic mix of Die Hard and Towering Inferno, managed an opening weekend of $40.4 million worldwide, just under $2.5 million coming from the UK and the large bulk ($25.5 million) from the United States.
Chances are the production company behind the movie are shaking in their boots; Skyscraper cost upwards of $125 million to make, and that does not include the huge marketing push the movie received. (The movie has not opened in China which could be their saving grace.)
For a Johnson-led picture, that’s disappointing. The former wrestler has managed colossal hits recently, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Fast and Furious 8. Rampage, which reached cinemas just three months ago, faired worse, having a $34.5 million debut weekend in the US, going on to score $425 million globally (thanks mainly to China).
Skyscraper makes for Johnson’s lowest debut weekend since Snitch in 2013. These gradually decreasing returns have led to lots of speculation online, the majority of analysts concluding that cinemagoers are just Dwayne Johnson-ed out.
The former wrestler is everywhere, co-leading blockbuster franchise (Fast and Furious), successfully rebranding franchise (Jumanji), unsuccessfully relaunching franchises (Baywatch), leading a TV series (Ballers), and being one of the most-followed people on social media.
You would be hard pushed not to see Johnson’s face somewhere in a cinema, and that’s not about to change.After a slight break, Johnson’s back with three huge movies, all in quick succession: Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw (2 August), Disney’s Jungle Cruise (11 ) and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2 (3 December).
There are, of course, many other factors in play: the movie received middling reviews and Summer has been packed with blockbusters. But perhaps a break from Johnson, for the meantime could be good for the brand. Because by the time Hobbes and Shaw touches down, we will probably be desperate to see Hollywood’s leading man once more (although another season of Ballers starts this August).
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