Audiences and critics are never going to be in unanimous agreement when it comes to the majority of movies, and that’s definitely something that applies most of Dwayne Johnson‘s career. The actor didn’t become the biggest name in the business by stretching himself in prestige dramas or tackling challenging roles, but headlining the sort of effects-driven blockbusters he knew his fans wanted to see him make.
It’s an approach that’s put an awful lot of butts in seats over the years, cementing Johnson as one of the few stars in Hollywood capable of convincing people to watch his latest movie based on nothing but the strength of his personal brand. Take Jungle Cruise as a very recent example, which holds a 63% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but was deemed worthy of 92% by audiences.
Another case in point is Baywatch, the nostalgic retread of the 1990s favorite that brought back the buff bods and skimpy swimsuits, but sought to carve a new path as a raunchy action comedy. It may have earned $177 million at the box office, but it was awarded with a measly 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the worst-reviewed movies Johnson has ever starred in.
However, fans seemed to like it a whole lot more, and it’s rocking a decent 66% on the aggregation site from users. It doesn’t look as though that sequel will ever get around to happening, though, but Baywatch previously gained a reputation for circling around and repeatedly finding itself troubling the Netflix Top 10 most-watched list. It’s now on Paramount+, but it’s one again floated to the surface and become one of the top titles on an entirely different platform.