Who You Gonna Call To Save A Franchise? Dwayne Johnson

Apparently Dwayne Johnson is to movies what Heather Locklear is to television. Dwayne Johnson is turning out be a good luck charm for franchises. The strong opening of G.I. JOE: RETALIATION over the Easter weekend marks the fourth sequel The Rock helped open to number one at the box office.

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION took in a rock solid $51 million Easter weekend.  According to Box Office Mojo, the sequel is the second-highest Easter debut ever, behind Clash of the Titans’  $61.2 million take in 2010.  While it didn’t beat its predecessor G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’s debut at $54.7 million, the number surprised many given the bad reviews of the first one and the nine month delay from summer of 2012 to the least coveted month of March.

Like Heather Locklear who joined the cast of existing shows like Dynasty, Melrose Place, and Spin City and boosted their ratings, Dwayne Johnson joined multiple sequels and saved the day as well.

Dwayne Johnson joined the G.I.’s after the original cast was swapped out for fresh faces, with the exception of Channing Tatum who takes on a smaller role.  We’re sure Bruce Willis helped a little although his recent Die Hard sequel fell hard.  Who doesn’t like seeing pairings like The Rock, Bruce Willis and the newest action hero Channing Tatum?

But adding Dwayne Johnson to the mix has proven profitable for a couple of movie franchises.  The Rock transitioned into acting by joining the cast of The Mummy Returns (2001) as the Scorpion King albeit a mostly CGI character.  He went on to star in his own spin-off as the Scorpion King.  

The former WWE wrestler revived The Fast and the Furious franchise when his turn as a federal agent in Fast Five propelled the fifth sequel to an $86 million opening in 2011.  When Brendan Fraser bailed on the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, Dwayne Johnson stepped in and led the film to bigger opening with $27 million, a $6 million increase from the previous action adventure.

Now Johnson’s latest sequel save with G.I. JOE: RETALIATION makes him the go-to-guy for franchises.  Will his streak continue when he reprises his role in another sequel this summer in Fast & Furious 6? Probably so based on that action-packed trailer.  Fast & Furious 6 Star: ‘This One is Going To Top Them All’

Dwayne Johnson Sequel Saves

1.    The Mummy Returns (2001)
2.    Fast Five (2011)
3.    Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
4.    G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)