“Had a Sinking Feeling”: Following Terminator 2’s Grand Success, Arnold Schwarzenegger Soon Realized He Made a Terrible “Mistake” by Doing This $85 Million Film in 1993

Bodybuilder turned Hollywood star, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career has undergone a diverse range of hues. From making blockbuster hits worldwide, like Terminator, to bungles at the box office like The Sixth Day. With experience, the star was able to discern the future of his projects. Likewise, years after Terminator 2: Judgement Day’s massive success, he was working on another John McTiernan film in 1993, the $85 million budgeted movie, Last Action Hero. Despite his trust and long association with the director, Schwarzenegger anticipated that the movie was going to flop. 

In his autobiography, Total Recall: My Unbelievable True Life Story, the former bodybuilder once narrated what led him to this realization. Unlike most works, this film was set to be an adult-rated film. However, an impromptu confession made by the director assured him of his gut feeling. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger knew his film was going to be a flop

According to the book, the 75-year-old legend was content working on every McTiernan project. The duo worked together on movies like Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October. Thus, he confided in his “great clarity of vision.” However, in the 1993 film, Schwarzenegger smelled trouble. One night in New York, the two were having drinks till early three in the morning. When suddenly, McTiernan revealed, “What we’re really making here is E.T.” This statement pulled back on the star. 

“When I heard that, I had a sinking feeling that maybe the whole PG-13 thing was a mistake,” he wrote. The Austrian Oak was starring as an LAPD officer, Jack Slater. Moreover, they decided to spice it up by making the film PG-13 even though they had a kid co-star in the cast. The icon soon realized that people might not find him appealing in a “family-friendly film”. Furthermore, he issued a comparison of Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark, with himself. He claimed it didn’t resonate with him.

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The book stated, “I’d made the comedies, of course, but those were different because no one expects you to blow people up in a comedy. When you’re selling a movie with the word action in the title, you’d better deliver some.” Schwarzenegger also disclosed that the 1984 film, Conan II was a failure for the same reasons. In another instance, the actor had to incur massive losses after his movie’s release. 

A controversial movie once served as a million-dollar loss for Arnold Schwarzenegger

Talking to Interview Magazine, the IFBB icon got candid and chatted about his films and future plans. Amid all that, he happened to share a controversy encircling a movie. Kindergarten Cop, an Ivan Reitman-led film in 1993, was expected to be a blockbuster hit, amassing over $100 million worth of fortune. However, it ended up gathering $85 million, and even though huge, it didn’t tie up with the mark.

Besides that, Schwarzenegger personally suffered a loss of $25 million because of the controversy associated with its storyline. The film featured a blend of kids and violence, in short, a disastrous theme. Therefore, the movie was a flop among parents and adults. Moreover, the actors and directors too faced flak due to the narrative.

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Nevertheless, these failures never stopped the star from shining bright. Today, he is among the most influential personalities in the world, and his failures sure have a big role to play. What do you think? Tell us in the comments.