The announcement that Dwayne Johnson would be reprising the role of Maui in a live-action Moana remake was a sobering reminder that he’s probably never going to venture outside of his comfort zone, which does admittedly make sense when you consider what happened to Baywatch.
Not only was it the last R-rated movie The Rock starred in – something that’s probably going to become even more of a rarity moving forward – but it’s also the lowest-rated entry in his entire filmography on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s right; the remake of the classic generation-defining TV series fared just as bad among critics as the risible Tooth Fairy.
Admittedly, a 62 percent audience approval rating indicates that there were plenty of folks out there who got a kick out of the sun-kissed action comedy, while a robust box office tally of $178 million once more underlined the leading man’s “Franchise Viagra” credentials. And yet, what happened to the sequel?
It was announced, Johnson confirmed that he’d be reprising his role… and then it faded into the ether, never to be heard from again. That might have been because it sucked, but Netflix subscribers have proven themselves open to giving it another shot. Per FlixPatrol, the statistically worst starring vehicle Johnson has ever lent his name to has been navigating choppy waters on the streaming service’s viewership charts, even if it set an unwanted benchmark.
On the plus side, Baywatch should live on in infamy solely for boasting the most laughably bad CGI fire you’re ever likely to see.