‘It’s embarrassing’: Arnold Schwarzenegger hid away after a major flop in the same year Sylvester Stallone dropped 2 of his biggest hits

He might regard it as his most underrated movie these days, but Arnold Schwarzenegger was nothing less than distraught when Last Action Hero thundered into theaters in the summer of 1993, only to end up as a box office bomb.

Of course, there’s a reason why hindsight is always 20/20, with the self-referential action comedy doomed from the start after being pitted directly against Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, which went on to become the highest-grossing release in the history of cinema.

In new Netflix documentary Arnold, the Austrian Oak reflected on what he deemed his most embarrassing failure ever at the time, revealing that he was so upset he locked himself away from the outside world.

“When Last Action Hero came out I had reached my peak after Terminator 2, having the most successful movie of the year worldwide. I cannot tell you how upset that I was. It hurts you. It hurts your feelings. It’s embarrassing. I didn’t want to see anyone for a week. But you keep plodding along. And my mother-in-law also said this all the time: ‘Let’s just move forward.’ It’s a great message.”

What would have made it hurt even more is that 1993 proved to be a banner year for rival-turned-friend Sylvester Stallone, who saw both Cliffhanger and Demolition Man do solid business in theaters while securing individual reputations as one of the best action blockbusters the decade had to offer. Sly may have admitted he was second best overall, but it’s nonetheless ironic he enjoyed one of his highest highs when Schwarzenegger was suffering the lowest of lows.