The Rock Is Running Right Back to a Franchise

I really expected The Smashing Machine to be successful for The Rock. Not financially. If it made money, that would be a bonus. Moreover, I assumed his performance would be seen as something we couldn’t miss. I thought even people who didn’t like the movie would single out his portrayal of Mark Kerr as reason enough to see the film, similar to how people who didn’t enjoy body horror still watched The Substance for Demi Moore. I was wrong!

I’m part of the “problem,” to be fair. I did not care for the movie, and thought that The Rock’s performance in it was okay at best. The movie has floundered at the box office, earning Dwayne Johnson the lowest opening of his film career. It’s a tough break, but Johnson is a tough dude, and I expected him to rebound, keep that Oscar campaign going strong, and do that movie about a chicken with Benny Safdie. Or, he could just run back to Jumanji.

It was announced last year that Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan would all be returning for a Jumanji movie that would release next December, but stuff like that gets announced constantly. I could see a world where ole Dwayne’s outing as a UFC star got rave reviews and tore up the box office, launching him into a new era of his career, and postponing other big projects in the process. Instead, he’ll be shooting Jumanji next month!

The announcement that the newest installment in the franchise will go in front of cameras in November feels intentional, like it’s covering for The Rock. “He’s fine, and, in fact, he’s got a new movie he’s already moving on to, so he doesn’t even care.” It’s giving, “You didn’t break up with me, I broke up with you.”

There’s also a decent chance that it removes any sliver of a chance he gets nominated for an Oscar. It’s possible, but the Academy hates this stuff. When you’re trying to get their approval, you do serious stuff. You don’t jump (back) to a big, flashy franchise. Robert Downey Jr. knew this. The dude talked ad nauseam about how pleased he was to do “real” movies again, got his Oscar, and went right back to the MCU.

If The Rock didn’t want to do Jumanji, he wouldn’t have to. Maybe he just loves the script. Perhaps he’s excited to work with his old friends again. Hell, I think those first two movies are a lot of fun! That doesn’t make this look any better. It’s just another instance in the man’s career where he makes a misstep, as we all do, and, instead of sticking to his guns, he flinches.