MovieChat Forums > Arnold Schwarzenegger Discussion > WHY Did He Lose His Box Office Power?

WHY Did He Lose His Box Office Power?

posted 4 years ago by exithereplease (3553)
81 replies | jump to latest

We all know when...1995 or 96 or 97 a few clunkers/a few hits and then just a meteor of flop after flop.

But WHY do you think he lost his gig as one of the most bankable stars?

[–] blue1981 (8198) 4 years ago

I think it was after Batman and Robin, he then began to have heart issues and starred in End of Days. I never liked that movie and he never really evolved in his movie choices as he aged unlike Sly who has made fantastic movies. Also public opinion hasn't been kind as the Governor of California and having an affair with his maid.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I think you're being a little too kind to Stallone. He made an awful lot of bad movies himself.

[–] blue1981 (8198) 4 years ago

Well ever since Rocky Balboa in 2006 he has had a good run in his older years and made some great movies. The Expendable Series and the Rambo sequels come to mind.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 4 years ago

I think John Rambo (2008) gave Stallone ten more years of career. He spent that time mainly making stinkers, but nevertheless.

[–] bozo_500 (13391) 4 years ago

Everyones pretty much summed it up..

also the lack of a decent T3 (ideally it should only have been directed by Cameron or maybe Ridley Scott in the mid/late90s) and no Predator 3 or Total Recall 2 or Conan III or Verhovans Crusade or Scotts I Am Legend (most of which ended up being made as inferior versions/remakes to what could've been) meant Arnie was stuck doing second rate B type action movies like Eraser, EndofDays, 6th Day, Collateral in the late 90s/early 00s..(which led to the almost tv movie quality T3)

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Because he doesn't have a whole lot of range in his characters and you were more or less seeing the same thing every time. His act started getting old after 15 years of the same old stuff.

[–] Ripkens25 (2064) 4 years ago

Sly was able to tap into the fun appeal of nostalgia with The Expendables franchise, along with the nostalgia of Rambo and Creed. As people outgrow the typical, run of the mill action movies, they WILL come out to see a character they grew up with, like Rocky.

Clint and Connery had the acting chops to pull off being in action movies beyond their prime. (And one could argue, Connery's "prime" extended well past the average man's). Even guys like Gene Hackman, Liam Neeson, etc. were able to extend their careers by picking good films. (Bruce WIllis, to a lesser extent)

And Cruise....he's an anomaly. This is why I think Cruise still doesn't get the respect he deserves. He's made over 50 films...and I'd say with VERY few exceptions, the movies are great...and he is great in them. He makes really good decisions, and puts 110% into everything he does. Plus....at almost 60....he can still pull off action roles!

For Arnie, his schtick just got old. The corny one-liners.....the silly action premises. With that thick accent and physique, Arnie became a caricature....and you can only cash-in on that for so long.

[–] Starman (412) 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BourbonKing (5788) 4 years ago

His Age, I mean he's the same age as Stallone who also lost his Box Office power.

[–] TimMC (9143) 4 years ago

Time is a mean sadistic MFer and will stop for no man.

[–] filmschooldegree (350) 4 years ago

Batman & Robin put a big dent into his brand. He had open heart surgery not long after and this shook confidence in him further. In interviews he mentioned that on the set of End of Days, the studio assigned a person to watch how he handled stuntwork and assess his durability during scenes. There was an obvious correlation between this and future projects, as the production budget for I am Legend was cut severely forcing it to collapse, and studios also showed no confidence in Sgt Rock and Crusade, not meeting budget demands nor his salary request. His priority became film projects that would pay his $25 million fee, which is why he could only get financing for crap like The 6th Day and Collateral Damage, and well, the results of those s-shows were a big part of the decline.

[–] Rorikon (18391) 4 years ago

He's had 1-2 movies about every year to every couple of years since 1995. He really dropped off after 2005 though before coming back in 2010. Other that, he's had a steady 1-2 films every year to a few years. I really liked him doing sci-fi movies be it Total Recall or 6th Day or Predator.

[–] triplea (3577) 4 years ago

Lol what kind of dumbass post is this? He has been mostly retired for almost 2 decades only doing the occasional project because he's already had enough success.