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Dwayne Johnson is a highly bankable star in Hollywood, with his films grossing $10.5 billion worldwide. Most of his highest-grossing films are franchises or ensemble projects, establishing him as a lucky charm in such films. However, his career journey also experienced downturns, with films failing to even recoup their production budgets.
Several of these failed movies had the potential to evolve into big franchise hits, but they ended up as disappointments or, in some cases, were simply unlucky.
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Dwayne Johnson’s 5 Box Office Bombs That Could Have Been Franchises
WhenDwayne Johnsonentered the film industry, he was already a star in professional wrestling. Initial films used to credit him as The Rock to leverage his star power. However, the ambitions of some films to build franchises with theJungle Cruiseactor on board failed miserably.
Planet 51(2009)
Dwayne Johnson voiced the main character, Captain Charles T. Baker, a NASA astronaut, in this animated sci-fi comedy. The film, an international co-production between Spain, the U.K., and Canada, was made on a budget of US$70 million. The film only grossed $105.6 million worldwide, with criticism directed at its overly familiar storyline. The competition from simultaneous releases likeThe Blind SideandTwilight: New Moonfurther doomed the film.
The failure of the film also closed the door on potential sequels. However, it did spawn several video games from Sega, Pyro Studios, Firebrand Games, and Zed Worldwide.
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Be Cool(2005)
Dwayne Johnson was part of an ensemble cast inBe Cool, a sequel to the 1995 crime comedy film,Get Shorty. Johnson played a gay Samoan bodyguard named Elliot in the poorly received sequel. The film grossed a total of $95.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $53-75 million.
Despite the expectations of recreating the magic from the first film with an expensive cast led byJohn Travolta,Be Coolfailed to impress the audience. The theme, a parody of the music business, had the potential to spawn further movies, but the film wasted that opportunity.
The Rundown(2003)
The Rundownwas a colossal failure for Johnson, failing to recoup its production budget. Credited as The Rock in the film, Johnson starred alongsideSeann William Scottin this buddy action comedy film. The film grossed $80.9 million, while the production budget stood at $85 million. However, the film received good reviews, making it the most unfortunate entry on this list.
The crew wanted to make a sequel after the positive word-of-mouth, but, it never materialized, most probably due to the financial loss of this film.
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Doom(2005)
Based on the video game series of the same name,Doomopened to negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. Johnson took on the role of a villain, Sgt. Asher “Sarge” Mahonin, in this box office bomb that failed to recoup its $60-70 million budget. The film only managed to gross $58.7 million at the box office.
The video game series by id Software had several storylines to develop further movies. The film’s executive producer John Wells hinted at a second film, but the failure put those plans on hold. Nevertheless, the film received a direct-to-video reboot titledDoom: Annihilation.
Southland Tales(2006)
Southland Talesstands out as Dwayne Johnson’s most notorious box office number, failing to even cross the million mark. The film made on a budget of $17 million grossed only $374,743. However, the film notably polarized critics at the time, some of whom bashed the movie for its run time and incoherent storyline. Others praised the film for its“intriguing vision”.
The film has since gained a cult following. While the box office success initially made the filmmakers reluctant about a sequel, director Richard Kelly has recently expressed interest in turning it into a franchise.
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Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3020
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
