A Dwayne Johnson Blockbuster Is Blowing Up On Netflix
One of Dwayne Johnson's biggest blockbusters is currently high on Netflix's global rankings, a film that showed that Johnson was a big draw on his own.
This article is more than 2 years old
Dwayne Johnson has been part of many blockbusters. He is firmly entrenched in the Fast & Furious franchise, and even has his own spinoff, he has made two insanely successful Jumanji films, and he has a string of solo films that have been so successful, they’ve attributed to him becoming the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. One of those films is climbing the Netflix charts and now sits at the 13th most popular film internationally on the streaming site, though, for now, San Andreas is only available internationally on Netflix.
San Andreas is a 2015 disaster film in which Dwayne Johnson plays Ray Gaines, a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter-rescue pilot, who is also embroiled in a divorce from his wife Emma, played by Carla Gugino. Alexandra Daddario plays their daughter, Blake, while Ioan Gruffudd is Emma’s boyfriend and Paul Giamatti is Dr. Lawrence Hayes, a Caltech seismologist who has nothing but bad news for all involved.
When we first see Dwayne Johnson’s Gaines, he is performing a daring helicopter rescue. After his heroics, Gaines’s personal life shows that he is trying to stay connected to Blake, while dealing with the distance between him and Emma. The movie begins to “shift” when Dr. Hayes and his colleague Dr. Park are testing their new earthquake predicting model when an earthquake hits. The 7.1 magnitude jolt takes down the Hoover Dam, killing many in its wake. Dr. Hayes survives and discovers that the San Andreas fault is shifting and what they just saw is only the beginning.
San Andreas is a tense and thrilling disaster pic, with in-your-face action and mayhem. San Andreas is full of unbelievable set pieces and situations that stretch reality, but you can’t expect anything less from a Dwayne Johnson disaster movie. There are many instances where Johnson gets to show off his muscular physique and his prowess for getting into and then out of, precarious situations. Driving a speedboat up and over an oncoming tsunami wave is just one instance that seems tailormade for Johnson’s particular brand of action ridiculousness.
San Andreas was written by Carlton Cuse, who wrote the 2018 film Rampage, which also starred Johnson. Carlton Cuse has also been part of some big television series such as The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr., Bates Motel, and Nash Bridges, but Cuse is probably best known for his work on Lost. San Andreas was directed by Brad Peyton who has also helmed the Dwayne Johnson movies Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and Rampage.
San Andreas was Warner Bros’ highest-grossing film of 2015. With a $110 million budget, the film went on to make over $473 million worldwide. To date, the film is Dwayne Johnson’s biggest live-action film that wasn’t already part of a franchise. But with proof that Johnson could lead gigantic and ridiculous action films. In 2018, he would star in two such films, Rampage, which would make over $427 million worldwide, and Skyscraper, which ended up earning slightly over $300 million. San Andreas was evidence that a Johnson-starring film didn’t need a major brand, all it needed was him.
San Andreas was not a critical success, nor did it score huge points with audience reviews. The film currently has a 49% on the Tomatometer and has a 52% average audience score, with over 50,000 ratings. On Metacritic, San Andreas fairs slightly worse, with a 43 score. Yet internationally, San Andreas is doing great on Netflix, which makes sense considering 67% of the films’ gross – $318 million – came from international markets. It seems that regardless of quality, people around. the world are united in their love for Dwayne Johnson.
But San Andreas helped prove that Dwayne Johnson was a powerful box-office commodity all on his own, which has led him to becoming the most profitable movie star today. Because of that, Johnson will be starring in two new franchises this year. Jungle Cruise, Disney’s latest live-action adventure film, which also stars Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, and Jesse Plemons, is currently scheduled for a July 30, 2021. Also coming out sometime this year is Red Notice an action comedy thriller for Netflix, which puts Johnson alongside Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. Johnson also has plans to star in DC’s Black Adam, although it’s unclear when this film will be released or start shooting.
While San Andreas is high on the international Netflix charts, it is available to rent on several video-on-demand services, and can be watched through the USA network app. If you like your Dwayne Johnson films full of over-the-top action and insanity, San Andreas might be the movie for you.
