Arnold Schwarzenegger has had no shortage of hits throughout his career,
but he’s still embarrassed by the lackluster reception of one of his
would-be blockbuster’s, the 1993 action comedy “Last Action Hero.”
In
the new three-part Netflix docuseries “Arnold,” the
bodybuilder-turned-star-turned-governor details his varied career, providing
insights into his momentous highs and lows as an action icon, including the
time that John McTiernan’s “Last Action Hero” flopped at the box
office.
“I cannot tell you how upset I was,” Schwarzenegger says in the
doc. “It hurts you. It hurts your feelings. It’s embarrassing… I didn’t want
to see anyone for a week. But you keep plodding along. And my mother-in-law
also said this all the time: ‘Let’s just move forward.’ It’s a great
message.”
The very meta comedy starred Schwarzenegger as
the fictional action hero character Jack Slater, who bonds with a young
movie fan Danny (Austin O’Brien). At the start of the film, Danny gets
magically transported into Jack Slater’s fictional world. The two form a
formidable bond as the film riffs on Schwarzenegger’s star persona.
Against an $85 million production budget, “Last Action Hero”
opened to $15.3 million at the domestic box office. It finished its global
theatrical run with $137 million — far from Schwarzenegger’s usual drawing
power at the time.
“When ‘Last Action Hero’ came out I had
reached my peak after ‘Terminator 2,’ having the most successful movie of
the year worldwide,” Schwarzenegger reveals in the docuseries.
“Terminator 2: Judgement Day” earned $31.8 million at the
domestic box office in its opening weekend, finishing with a total of $520.9
million worldwide. At the time, it was the third-highest grossing film ever,
after “Star Wars” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
In the Netflix docuseries, “Terminator” director James Cameron
recalls his first conversation with Schwarzenegger after “Last Action Hero”
opened in theaters.
“He sounded like he was in bed crying,” said
Cameron. “He took it as a deep blow to his brand. I think it really shook
him… I said, ‘What are you gonna do?’ He said, ‘I’m just gonna hang out by
myself.'” Cameron added, “That’s the only time I’ve ever heard him down.”
“Arnold”
and Schwarzenegger’s new scripted series “Fubar” are streaming on Netflix.
