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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).
Show all 25 1 /2525 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Meg Released: 10 August
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson
After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Skyscraper Released: 12 July
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Dwayne Jonson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han
FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader Will Sawyer is framed for setting fire to the tallest building in the world and must rescue his family who are trapped inside - at the top.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels First Reformed Released: 12 July
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer
A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Disney's Christopher Robin Released: 17 August
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings (voice)
A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Happytime Murders Released: 17 August
Director: Brian Henson
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph
When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels BlacKkKlansman Released: 24 August
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace
The film, produced by Get Out's Jordan Peele, is set in the early 70s and follows Washington's Ron Stallworth who, after becoming the first African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department, sets out to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan while posing as a racist extremist.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mile 22 Released: 27 August
Director: Peter Berg
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich
An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Miseducation of Cameron Post Released: 31 August
Director: Desiree Akhavan
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Jennifer Ehle
In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative guardians.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels American Animals Released: 7 September
Director: Bart Layton
Cast: Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Ann Dowd
Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels City of Lies Released: 7 September
Director: Brad Furman
Cast: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Rockmond Dunbar
The film tells the story of American hero and former LAPD detective, Russell Poole as he works the 1997 murder cases of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels A Simple Favour Released: 21 September
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Blake Lively, Linda Cardellini, Anna Kendrick
A rare thriller from Bridesmaids director following a mummy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's sudden disappearance from their small town.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Fighting With My Family Released: 28 September
Director: Stephen Merchant
Cast: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Dwayne Johnson
A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.
Lionsgate UK
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The House with a Clock in Its Walls Released: 28 September
Director: Eli Roth
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kyle MacLachlan
A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels A Star Is Born Released: 5 October
Director: Bradley Cooper
Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott
A musician helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Venom Released: 5 October
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
When Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life.
Sony
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Bad Times at the El Royale Released: 12 October
Director: Drew Goddard
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Nick Offerman
Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels First Man Released: 12 October
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mowgli Released: 19 October
Director: Andy Serkis
Cast: Rohan Chand, Benedict Cumberbatch (voice), Cate Blanchett (voice)
A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins in this live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Bohemian Rhapsody Released: 24 October
Director: Bryan Singer, Dexter Fletcher
Cast: Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello, Lucy Boynton
A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert in 1985.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Overlord Released: 25 October
Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Wyatt Russell, Iain De Caestecker, Pilou Asbæk
The story of two American soldiers behind enemy lines on D Day that may or may not be another film set in JJ Abrams’ Cloverfield world.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Widows Released: 9 November
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson
Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels White Man Rick Released: 7 December
Director: Yann Demange
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Marsan
The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mortal Engines Released: 14 December
Director: Christian Rivers
Cast: Hugo Weaving, Frankie Adams, Stephen Lang
Many years after the "Sixty Minute War," cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Alita: Battle Angel Released: 26 December
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein
An action-packed story of one young woman's journey to discover the truth of who she is and her fight to change the world.
25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Holmes and Watson Released: 26 December
Director: Etan Cohen
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ralph Fiennes
A humorous take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
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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