Dwayne Johnson, who is now showing off his dramatic actor side in The Smashing Machine, was one of the most reliable moneymakers of the 2010s. He started becoming a leading man film star in the early aughts with The Rundown, Walking Tall, and Doom but it wasn’t until the 2010s that Hollywood started to realize he was a performer capable of leading movies with massive price tags and make those massive price tags worthy expenditures. First, he was brought in to inject new life into pre-existing franchises, with Fast Five, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation all coming out within a three-year timespan. Then, throughout the remainder of the decade, he fronted several one-man-show mega-budgeted action films with charming, relatively simple concepts.
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Examples included Hercules, Rampage, and Skyscraper and, besides Skyscraper, they all turned a healthy profit. Furthermore, there was one more example that pulled off that accomplishment: San Andreas. And it seems San Andreas isn’t through being a success, either, as it’s currently a hit on Netflix both in the U.S. and worldwide.
Dwayne Johnson vs. Earthquake
San Andreas is currently positioned at number three when it comes to overall viewership in the United States between the dates of September 22nd and September 28th. It follows only KPop Demon Hunters and Ruth & Boaz. Impressively, San Andreas is currently outdoing a few 2025 new releases: 28 Years Later, Karate Kid: Legends, The Wrong Paris, and Ice: Road Vengeance. Rounding out the list are Shrek, Shrek 2, and 2023’s Cobweb, a horror flick starring Lizzy Caplan and The Boys‘ Antony Starr.
When looking at the worldwide overview, San Andreas is knocked down the list a bit. It’s still in the Top 10, but in position number seven. Like with the United States’ viewership, it is ahead of 28 Years Later and it is behind KPop Demon Hunters and Ruth & Boaz (which also hold the number one and number two spots, respectively). It is also placed below The Wrong Paris, 2004’s Denzel Washinton action vehicle Man on Fire, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and 2014’s Jeff Bridges-led fantasy film box office bomb Seventh Son.
In San Andreas, Johnson plays Ray Gaines, a chief rescue helicopter pilot with the LAFD. When a massive earthquake destroys the Hoover Dam, Gaines is sent to Nevada to rescue people from the ensuing floods. However, then an even bigger earthquake strikes, tearing L.A. into shreds. Gaines must race back home to rescue is soon to be ex-wife and daughter from the mass destruction. In the process, his ex-wife may learn that their marriage is not something to be thrown away, and that Gaines is a far better man than the coward she is currently in a relationship with.
While the film isn’t quite top-tier Johnson it’s still a fun special effects extravaganza, and one that was particularly enjoyable in IMAX 3D. The film was a major hit back in 2015, netting $155.2 million domestically and $319.4 internationally on a budget of $110 million.
What is your favorite Dwayne Johnson leading man action vehicle? Let us know in the comments.
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