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Will John Cena Continue His Hollywood Stardom Despite Successive Losses or Will He Follow Hollywood Hogan’s Path?

Published 02/22/2024, 5:00 PM EST

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Transitioning to an actor from a WWE Superstar is not everyone’s cup of tea. While Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has made it as one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, John Cena is still on the way.

The 16-time World Champion is currently promoting his upcoming film Ricky Stanicky. The PG Era Poster Boy of WWE recently opened an OnlyFans account to promote his character in the movie. However, after a series of movies didn’t work after The Suicide Squad (2021), Ricky Stanicky’s success could make or break his Hollywood career. So will Cena continue acting despite successive losses or do what Hulk Hogan did in the early 90s i.e. return to wrestling?

Will John Cena follow ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan’s path or Dwayne Johnson’s?

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In the last three years, John Cena has acted in several films. Some of those featured him in a prominent role, while some movies had him in a supporting role. Movies like Fast X and Barbie were major hits, and films like Vacation Friends 1&2, Freelance, The Independent, Argyle, and Hidden Strike got mixed reviews. Moreover, they didn’t earn well at the box office.

John Cena Vs The Rock: Highest Grossing Films, Biggest Hits, Flops & Other Key Comparisons

That makes everyone wonder, will this make ‘The Cenation Leader’ do what Hulk Hogan did in the early 90s? The Hulkster left WWE in 1993 to take a break from wrestling and was filming for Thunder in Paradise. But he returned to wrestling, debuting for WCW after Thunder in Paradise was canceled after one season. 

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The Hulkster did only six movies and a few sitcoms during his tenure as Hollywood Hogan in WCW from 1994 to 2000. Similarly, Cena can do the same if his movie career is having a series of successive losses. Cena might return to WWE despite hinting at retirement from WWE

Even The Rock had a phase where he had several movies that didn’t go well at the box office. But he stuck to acting and became a prominent actor as we all know today. Cena is a prominent name in both WWE and Hollywood currently. However, it will be interesting to see what the Ricky Stanicky star does if his upcoming movies see a similar fate as his last seven films.

Box office numbers of John Cena’s last seven films

The WWE legend’s last hit film was The Suicide Squad in which he played Peacemaker. However, his other films, apart from Fast X and Barbie in which he was a supporting actor, didn’t earn as much. 

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Vacation Friends (2021) was released on several streaming platforms but got mixed reviews. Similarly, the sequel released in 2023 received unfavorable reviews. Also, his movie The Independent, which was released on Peacock in 2022, got mixed reviews as well.

Cena also did a film with Jackie Chan named Hidden Strike, that had a budget of $80 million but earned only $917,381 at the box office. Furthermore, Freelance also tanked earning $9.1 million after a budget of $40 million. 

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The Cenation Leader’s most recent film, Argylle, didn’t do well at the box office either. Even though it was stacked with some prominent actors, Argylle earned only $78.6 million with a budget of $200 million, making it yet another box office failure. 

What are your thoughts? Will John Cena return to wrestling or stick to acting? Share your opinion below.

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Written by:

Tushar Deogharkar

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Tushar Deogharkar is a senior WWE writer and analyst at EssentiallySports. With a true passion for pro wrestling, Tushar has consistently provided unparalleled coverage of the sport, never missing an opportunity to share his insights with his readers. Throughout his career, Tushar has covered some of the most iconic rivalries in WWE history, including the legendary feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
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Edited by:

Donna Eva