When he was a professional wrestler, John Cena was known as a box office draw because of his ability to generate a lot of revenue through merchandise and ticket sales. In his film career, he hasn’t yet made as big of an impact on the actual box office.
However, he’s still been involved in several hugely successful movies. And most of them have come in recent years, indicating that the cinema-going audience has started to warm up to the former WWE champion. Excluding 2011’s The Reunion – which Box Office Mojo doesn’t have data for – here are the worldwide box office numbers for all of Cena’s theatrically-released movies.
Legendary (2010) – $200,393 (Domestic Only)
Box Office Mojo only has the domestic earnings of this dramatic sports movie, which partially explains the low number. Another reason for the weak gross is the film’s limited release in theaters.
The movie is about a high-schooler following in the footsteps of his brother and father by joining the wrestling team. Cena plays the kid’s insubordinate older brother, who teaches him to wrestle. He’s joined in the film by Danny Glover and Patricia Clarkson.
Fred: The Movie (2010) – $1,309,580
In America, this comedy about the adventures of the former YouTuber didn’t have a theatrical release, yet it did in the United Kingdom. And the UK viewers managed to gross over $1 million in ticket sales, likely due to the inclusion of British singer Pixie Lott.
In the movie, John Cena is Fred’s imaginary father, who appears from time to time to give him advice. Cena also features in the film’s two sequels, but it seems they weren’t theatrically released anywhere.
The Wall (2017) – $4,476,705
In this unique war film, two American soldiers are pinned down by an enemy sniper. While one soldier (Cena) is down in need of medical attention, the other is forced to take cover behind a nearby wall and communicate by radio with both his ally and the man hunting them.
The movie actually did slightly better overseas than it did in America as over $2.5 million of its earnings came from international audiences. This is a little surprising considering its focus on American soldiers in the Iraq war.
12 Rounds (2009) – $17,280,326
Cena stars in this crime thriller as Detective Danny Fisher, whose girlfriend has been kidnapped by an ex-con. To save her, Fisher must complete 12 dangerous challenges set up by his advisory.
This movie was one of the first to try to use Cena’s wrestling fame to drum up interest. And it didn’t exactly work from a box office perspective as it failed to make all of it’s estimated budget of $20 million back.
The Marine (2006) – $22,165,608
Aside from being seen in the background of Ready To Rumble, Cena’s first movie role was in The Marine. The film follows a discharged marine known as John Triton (John Cena) as he hunts down a group of thieves, who have taken his wife.
Cena got to work with Robert Patrick of Terminator 2: Judgment Day fame, and the movie grossed over $20 million, not bad for his first foray into the film industry.
Playing With Fire (2019) – $68,631,669
Cena teams up with regular comedy actors Keegan-Michael Key and John Leguizamo in this family flick. They play a group of firefighters that must look after three troublesome kids. The lead character, Jake, is portrayed by Cena, and his initially serious demeanor starts to fade the more time he spends with the children.
Despite not being the most inventive movie, it still did quite well by grossing nearly $70 million on a $29 million budget.
Blockers (2018) – $94,017,294
Instead of his usual role as a soldier, cop, or anything else that explains his large physique, Blockers cast Cena as a goofy suburban dad. Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz join him as a group of concerned parents going on misadventures to stop their kids from getting laid on Prom night.
In a subversion of ordinary teen sex comedies, it’s not a group of boys trying to lose their virginity: it’s girls. The fresh take on the genre plus the star power of the leads allowed the film to make over $70 million more than it’s estimated budget.
Sisters (2015) – $105,011,053
2015 was the year where Cena got the chance to flex his comedic muscles as an actor. In Sisters, he showcases his deadpan ability as a straight-faced drug dealer. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey star in the movie as two sisters who throw a wild party in their childhood home.
The film released in theaters the same day as Star Wars: The Force Awakens – something the marketing poked fun at – therefore it’s box office returns didn’t start well. But they soon grew to over $100 million from a $30 million budget.
Trainwreck (2015) – $140,795,793
This Amy Schumer vehicle follows a usually promiscuous free-spirit as she develops serious feelings for an orthopedic surgeon. Alongside Schumer is a star-studded cast, including the likes of Bill Hader, LeBron James, Brie Larson, and of course, John Cena. With those names, it’s no surprise that the movie was a commercial success, almost making back it’s $35 million budget during its opening weekend alone.
In the early parts of the film, Cena plays the intense boyfriend of Schumer’s character. And his outrageous antics are one of the highlights of the popular flick.
Daddy’s Home 2 (2017) – $180,613,180
Former rivals Brad and Dusty come together to celebrate Christmas in this festive comedy, bringing both of their families together in the process. Naturally, the whole thing causes many problems. One of the major instigators of those issues is John Cena’s Roger. He is the biological father to Dusty’s step-daughter, and he isn’t much a fan of the new father figure in his daughter’s life.
The film wasn’t as successful as its predecessor, yet a comedy grossing over $180 million is still a big achievement.
Daddy’s Home (2015) – $242,786,137
Before he had a large role in the sequel, Cena made a small appearance at the end of the original Daddy’s Home. Preceding the cameo is a comedy about a sensible man competing for the affection of his step-kids against their biological father.
With Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the leads, the film was a giant success by almost making $250 million. Thus it was no shock when a sequel was announced a few months after release.
Dolittle (2020) – $243,323,230
Robert Downing Jr.’s contemporary reboot of Dr. Dolittle sees the physician set off on an adventure with his animal friends. The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast with some delivering live-action performances, and others providing vocal ones. Cena fits into the latter group as he voices the perpetually cold polar bear, Yoshi.
Despite the movie earning over $240 million, it’s still seen as a box office bomb because of it’s extremely high production and marketing costs.
Ferdinand (2017) – $296,069,199
A polar bear isn’t the only animal Cena provides a voice for, he’s also the titular bull in Ferdinand. The movie follows the kind-hearted animal as he tries to avoid taking part in bullfighting. As is the case with most big-budget animated adventures, multiple known actors lend their voices to characters such as David Tennent, Kate McKinnon, and Gabriel Iglesias, just to name a few.
The film did okay domestically, but it was a particularly big hit internationally, as $211 million of it’s gross came from overseas.
Bumblebee (2018) – $467,989,645
This spin-off/prequel/reboot of the live-action Transformers movies tells the story of a teenager finding and befriending the titular machine. Cena plays one of the film’s major characters, Jack Burns. He’s an agent in Sector Seven that finds himself in the middle of the conflict between Bumblebee and some Decepticons.
Live-action Transformers movies tend to be critical flops, but commercial hits. However, Bumblebee managed to succeed in both areas. And by making $467,989,645 at the box office, it’s easily the most successful film John Cena has been a part of at this point in his career.
