Poised to Be the Top Earning Star in 2023, $80,000,000 John Cena’s Hollywood Career Sadly Jolted by Reprise Endeavor

There are times when it feels like John Cena can do no wrong. After winning over the hearts of the WWE universe and becoming the company’s face, Cena has come a long way. Following in the footsteps of Hulk Hogan and Dwayne Johnson before him, Cena went to Hollywood. After multiple box office hits in 2023, Cena seemed poised to become the top-earning star until he decided to go on a Vacation with Friends. 

With a whopping $500,000 per episode on Peacemaker and $2 million for Faxt X, Cena is a top bankable star in Hollywood. His total net worth is at an estimated $80 million. Despite those impressive numbers, another set of numbers has jolted his career.

John Cena’s new movie sits at 24% on Rotten Tomatoes

Yes, you read that right: after massive commercially and critically praised projects like Suicide Squad, Fast X, Peacemaker, and more recently, Barbie, Cena seems to have hit a bump on his road to superstardom. When Cena started in movies in 2006, his track record was not good. His first main lead movie saw 17% on the popular movie rating website Rotten Tomatoes.

That percentage increased after a decade of acting in movies and TV shows. The Suicide Squad sits at 90%, Trainwreck at 84%, and his last endeavor of Peacemaker season 1 at 94%. However, his recent comedy film Vacation Friends 2 sits at 24% on the website. This is much lower than the prequel, which sits at 58%.

The original movie was released in 2021 and starred Lil Rel Howery, John Cena, Yvonne Orji, and Meredith Hagner. The original cast is back to reprise their roles. However, they could not retain the comedic spark of the first one. The original, while not praised by critics, was still enjoyable to watch for the viewers and fans.

READ MORE: Despite Playing a Cameo in Barbie After Margot Robbie’s Proposal, John Cena Is Seen Promoting Their Box Office Rival, Oppenheimer

While this is not the worst movie Cena has been in, it is a stark contrast from his latest movies. Regardless of the ratings, Cena’s movie career will be fine. With Peacemaker season 2 upcoming, things will surely change for the action movie star. As of now, Cena has been in worse movies.

Cena’s bad choices in movies and rare hits

As mentioned earlier, Cena’s 24% on his new movie is still better than the 17% he received on his first. The 2006 action movie The Marine was panned by critics. The worst rating for a John Cena movie is The Reunion, an action movie which only has 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is Cena’s worst Rotten Tomatoes score since that movie.

In 2015’s Amy Schumer-led Trainwreck, Cena would see mainstream Hollywood success. Following this, he would appear in movies like Sisters, Daddy’s Home 1&2, Bumblebee, etc.

Cena has yet to reach the heights of Dwayne Johnson, who sits with a worth of $800 million. While both wrestlers-turned-actors followed the same path to Hollywood with duds initially, The Rock established himself as a leading man way earlier than Cena. While fans are excited about the day the two share the same screen, we’re waiting for their next projects. 

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