Dwayne Johnson is experiencing a bit of a slump. He hasn’t had a true box-office hit or critical success since the pandemic, and understandably, the one-time highest-paid actor in Hollywood is trying everything to get back to the peak of his career. His latest strategy, however, borders on pure delusion.
Johnson is clearly still deep in his flop era, with his latest expensive project falling short at the box office. Hard as it may be to believe, Johnson apparently expected the movie in question to be as good as, or at least as gripping as, the Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer. In a rare disclosure, Johnson shared some behind-the-scenes insight into his decision-making process: he watched Oppenheimer at the same IMAX theater where Christopher Nolan screens his films, even insisting on sitting in the same seat Nolan usually occupies. That’s when it hit him — if he made Red One with IMAX cameras, it would be game over.
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t game over at all. If anything, Johnson is still on the hunt for his first post-pandemic hit. And Red One isn’t likely to become a sleeper favorite that people reevaluate in the future, either — it’s fair to say it wasn’t our favorite Christmas movie.
At the special screening, Johnson even took a picture of his bare chest alongside a shot of the massive IMAX screen and sent it to the movie’s director, Jake Kasdan, thinking this would be an irresistible combination for audiences. Now that we have a peek into Johnson’s thought process, it’s even easier to believe his recent admission that he pees in bottles on set and leaves them for crew members to clean up.
It’s easy to pick on Johnson, especially now that his movies aren’t delivering the way they used to on box-office weekends. But to his credit, he is trying new things with his career. Using IMAX for his films genuinely enhances the scope and immersiveness of action scenes. The problem with Red One isn’t the action or even the oversized IMAX shots of Johnson’s chest — it’s the lack of holiday spirit, which is essential for a Christmas movie. Hopefully, the next Christopher Nolan movie will inspire Johnson to put more focus on the story.
The online reaction has been harsh. On X, culture critic Hunter Harris jokingly commented that Johnson comparing Red One to Oppenheimer is an example of aspirational delusion, saying “I need delusion like this.”
That said, Red One may have missed the mark, but that doesn’t mean Johnson’s experimental phase is over. His next live-action role is an A24 production titled The Smashing Machine directed by Benny Safdie, best known for Uncut Gems. The film is a biopic about mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, and Johnson has already called it his most challenging role yet. And considering Moana 2 is a sure hit, there’ll be less pressure for Johnson to deliver in the box office. We’re genuinely excited to see Johnson bring his dramatic chops to this new project. If the film works, it might even be Johnson’s first opportunity to attract some awards attention.