C'mon Hollywood: Can Schwarzenegger and Stallone recover from their recent flops?
Feb. 5, 2013
As a child of the ‘80’s I was immersed in the action films of that era. The macho posturing, endless ammunition, colorful villains, creative profanity, and blood-squib splatters were brought to me regularly by three key actors: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis, with many others filling in the gaps (Steven Seagal, Van Damme, Lundgren, Snipes, etc.). I never fathomed a time when the genre would change or die, it was just the way things were. And I was happy for it.
Then, sometime in the late ‘90’s a shift began. The quality began to decline, the showmanship was half-assed, and the vigor of the previous era had been replaced by safer or experimental genres that just didn’t click. Minus a few hits here and there, the power of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis seemed to take a nosedive. Stallone began hiding out in direct-to-video/cameo land, while Schwarzenegger hopped from the Cameron-less TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES and into the governorship of California. Willis would have a little better luck, but not by far, as he’s churned out more forgettable than memorable films since his heyday.
Last month, Schwarzenegger debuted his “comeback” vehicle THE LAST STAND, which opened in 10th place and has thus far garnered only $11 million (with a $45 million budget). Stallone’s stand-alone starrer, BULLET TO THE HEAD opened this past weekend in fifth place with a $4.5 million take. The Walter-Hill-directed action pic had been delayed from the get-go and obviously didn’t reap any kind of benefit as a result. It’s a sad one-two punch from team Stallone/Schwarzenegger, who enjoyed some nostalgic success with THE EXPENDABLES 2 last year, which served as a beacon for their return.
I wasn’t expecting that THE LAST STAND or BULLET TO THE HEAD would be TRUE LIES or RAMBO material. I had no such illusions. But, I did hope that they’d have a healthy dose of nostalgic action, inspired direction, and some of the charisma that made them stars. Unfortunately, both films delivered only a fraction of those attributes, leaving us with the kind of stuff I’d rather have waited til Netflix for. My mind was barely in the game for either and I felt bad because of it. I wanted to dig these movies!
So, what happened? Why are these first entries into their “comeback” state so mediocre and is that what kept audiences away? The marketing for both films was pretty aggressive, even if not exactly on point. You would think that with the level of star power these two giants have behind them would open a film in better than 5th or 10th place. And really, the reviews aren’t all that bad (59% for THE LAST STAND and 46% for BULLET). So, why did audiences stay away? Are these guys through? Do they only have hits when in an established franchise? Have those of us that grew up with them now grown out of them? Are new audiences too sophisticated (or less, perhaps) for their brand of action?
I think that it’s a mixture of all of those reasons. Schwarzenegger’s last great film was TRUE LIES, while Stallone had more recent success with RAMBO and THE EXPENDABLES, but was in the gutter for a long time after CLIFFHANGER. I think what’s happened is that we’ve seen these two stars own a decade; they were the champions, the box-office draw, and now the tide has turned. Because, let’s face it, the ‘80’s are over and the cinema it churned out during that time (and even into the mid-90’s) is now virtually nonexistent.
The techno-thrillers, superhero epics, raunchy comedies, and young adult fare are the kings of the box office these days, all genres these two stars have only dabbled in at best. It really shouldn’t be that surprising that their latest efforts reflecting the old guard weren’t welcome with open arms. They simply didn’t fit the mold of what people are paying to see. And despite some people’s vehement defense of both films, the honest truth is that they are simply aren't up to snuff, either as throwbacks to the genre or modern-day efforts.
Now, this could potentially be a fluke; a bad kick-off, a slow start, whatever you want to call it. Arnold and Stallone both have some intriguing works on the way, one of which stars the both of them. THE TOMB, a high-tech prison escape thriller, followed by TEN, with Schwarzenegger playing a shady DEA agent for director David Ayer (END OF WATCH). Both of these pics have more going for them than THE LAST STAND or BULLET TO THE HEAD combined.
With Arnold circling a return to both CONAN and THE TERMINATOR franchises and Stallone jumping into a third EXPENDABLES (with Arnie in tow) and back in the ring with Robert De Niro for GRUDGE MATCH, the Kings of the ‘80’s aren’t letting a few flops stop them from charging forward. And really, they never did. It’s my belief that both Arnold and Stallone will recover from their recent box office flops and re-emerge as seasoned stars that can still connect with their audience.
What it comes down to is choosing projects that they are passionate about and working with creators who share that enthusiasm. Arnold works best with big-budget filmmakers who know what to do with him and Stallone soars when he’s directing himself more so than anyone else. By looking at what worked best throughout their careers and following their passion, rather than jumping into a commercialized stereotypical vehicle like the duo gave us these past few months, they could easily get unstuck from the mud of Hollywood mediocrity and take flight into a successful third act of their long-standing careers.
| Extra Tidbit: | The third Planet Hollywood cardholder in this trifecta is Bruce Willis who opens up with A Good Day To Die Hard in a few weeks. Do you think he'll suffer like his counterparts or is sticking with a franchise entry the safe bet? |
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| Source: | JoBlo.com |
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Jan February are down month
They don't have to recover...
Good Day To Die HArd will flop... rated R won't save it
What about overseas?
I actually wrote...
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Let me just throw this out there.
meh
It's tough getting old
Why is it so hard to believe some moviestars are past their prime. Nobody cares when Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro or Al Pacino churn out a stinker. Those guys ruled the 70's! How can they
Why is it so hard to believe some moviestars are past their prime. Nobody cares when Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro or Al Pacino churn out a stinker. Those guys ruled the 70's! How can they not be boxoffice material 40 years later?
The other thing is that '80s action movies
The other thing is that '80s action movies are of a type that basically didn't exist prior to then, and just about died out with 9/11, when Americans couldn't just laugh off terrorists like we could in True Lies. Now, there is more of a push in recent years to move away from the queasy-cam fight sequences in movies like Haywire and Hanna, but that doesn't necessarily mean that audiences are waiting in the wings for these two former titans the way they used to. The Expendables is an exception, since it's a huge meta franchise built around the personas these action guys crafted over years. But it seems every time something new and promising comes out in the action genre, it is either under-marketed, or real-world politics gets in the way.
One more thing....
They're not done yet....
Sly on the other hand, not so much. I
Sly on the other hand, not so much. I think his ego has completely gotten away from him and he's more interested in trying to be the star than trying to make a decent flick. The Expendables franchise is by no means great, they're "OK" movies that are very gimmicky (especially since it's all about trying to get an 80's action star for a cameo). The movies serve more as a really great guilty pleasure you don't mind telling your friends about. Unfortunately I think his time has past where he can play the roles that are really meant for a 30 something to play. And if what happened with Tom Jane in Bullet to the Head is any indicator, he really can't hold his own against today's action heroes on camera.
I still have a lot of faith in the both of them
Regarding the last stand maybe people are a bit hesitant to see if schwarzenegger still has the power, his next movie will do a lot better. By the way both movies will do a lot better in the rest of the world and on dvd/bluray i'm sure they'll make a lot of
Regarding the last stand maybe people are a bit hesitant to see if schwarzenegger still has the power, his next movie will do a lot better. By the way both movies will do a lot better in the rest of the world and on dvd/bluray i'm sure they'll make a lot of money.
It would be cool though if Cameron worked with Schwarzenegger again and maybe Stallone making a sequel to clifhanger(with rooker) and demolition man.
They're getting older and so is their audience.
Feel sad for the lads
But like Mr Shirey says, both "Ten" and "the Tomb" sounds so much more interesting than "Stand" and "Bullet" ever did.
But if they are to fall back on earlier franchises please give us "Tango & Cash 2:Money talks bullshit walks".
But like Mr Shirey says, both "Ten" and "the Tomb" sounds so much more interesting than "Stand" and "Bullet" ever did.
But if they are to fall back on earlier franchises please give us "Tango & Cash 2:Money talks bullshit walks".
Amen!
It's Subtle
The Last Stand wasn't a true Ahnuld movie. When Luis Guzman is the best thing in your film, you've got serious problems.
They need to be more selective. They'll get their true come backs this way. The Tomb looks and sounds awesome by any standard and I trust David Ayer, so I think they'll be fine.
The Last Stand wasn't a true Ahnuld movie. When Luis Guzman is the best thing in your film, you've got serious problems.
They need to be more selective. They'll get their true come backs this way. The Tomb looks and sounds awesome by any standard and I trust David Ayer, so I think they'll be fine.