With several projects attached to his name for the past decade, Dwayne Johnson has undoubtedly become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. His appearance in various blockbuster action films, paired with his charming appeal to the mass, made it easy to recognize him as a movie superstar.
Unfortunately, everything has an end, and it seems that this period in Johnson’s career marks the decline of his popularity. This is, of course, based on his income. The Jumanji star has lost his status as the highest-paid entertainer.
Dwayne Johnson’s Career Suffers Substantial Woes After Black Adam’s Box Office Flop
Dwayne Johnson’s career started during his heyday as a professional wrestler. When he moved to the acting industry, he was welcomed with a string of movie projects that soon catapulted his name to fame.
He debuted in the 2001 movie The Mummy Returns, which later gave him the opportunity to lead the franchise in its spin-off, The Scorpion King in 2002. Johnson’s career was immediately propelled to new heights when he joined the Fast & Furious franchise. He also led the rebooted Jumanji films, Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and The Next Level (2019). His recent projects, which include 2021’s Jungle Cruise and Red Notice, secured him as a family-friendly action star.
It was Johnson’s work on Central Intelligence (2016), The Fate of the Furious (2017), and Baywatch (2017) that gave him a yearly paycheck of about $65 million. In 2022, Forbes reported that Johnson ranks as one of the highest-paid actors of all time, along with Peter Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Jay-Z. He also earned a fortune from his own tequila brand, Teremana.
While the 51-year-old star basked in his bed of money, the latter part of the year drew in the dark clouds and enveloped his sunshine. His journey on DCEU’s Black Adam was met with heavy criticism, apart from failing to perform at the box office. Despite the attempt to attract viewers by luring them with a leaked cameo of Henry Cavill’s Superman, the movie was still considered a flop.
Forbes recently released their annual list of Highest-Paid Entertainers, and it is a shame that the Rampage actor did not make it to the top five. More depressingly, he was not even in the top ten.
There is still hope that Johnson may climb his way up again as his profitability as an actor remains strong. His comeback to the Fast & Furious franchise, along with upcoming projects such as Red One (2023) and the possible sequel to Disney’s Moana, which will be likely produced by his own company, Seven Bucks Productions in partnership with The Walt Disney Company, could remedy the damage to his career.
Dwayne Johnson’s XFL Business Dilemma Made It Worse
While Dwayne Johnson’s acting career remains at its peak, his XFL business with ex-wife Dany Garcia experienced a huge loss. The football league company is reportedly facing a financial loss worth $60 million, according to Forbes.
Johnson’s attempt to recover from the damage is to make practical changes, including inviting new cities to enter the league and expanding the teams from 51 to 90 players during the off-season.
The Rock’s passion project getting heavily panned by critics last year, including the cancelation of his NBC sitcom Young Rock, must have distracted the actor from his responsibilities in XFL. Nevertheless, only time will tell what will become of Johnson’s career in the near future.
Source: Forbes
