Although John Cena is a well-known and appreciated name among Hollywood actors, his most recent performances have led to a pretty dismal streak on Rotten Tomatoes that, hopefully, can be fixed via his next two releases. In the late 1990s, John Cena moved to California to start a career in bodybuilding, and then, wrestling. For more than a decade, Cena held a spot of acclaim among professional wrestlers, winning countless championships and perfecting his rapper-turned-superhero character. In the early 2000s, Cena became a notable wrestler-turned-actor, but only in the last ten years has he earned roles in more mainstream films.
John Cena’s most recent project, and most recent Rotten Tomatoes failure, is Ricky Stanicky. The comedy film stars Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler as three best friends who create a made-up friend named Ricky Stanicky to cover up their bad behavior to their wives. However, when the friends suddenly need a real Stanicky to maintain their reputations, they find someone (John Cena) to play the role. Despite its fairly star-studded cast, Ricky Stanicky earned a mere 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. This recent flop only adds to Cena’s ongoing rotten streak.
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John Cena’s New 0% Rotten Tomatoes Movie Is Even Worse When You Realize His 2020s Record
The Rotten Tomatoes score for John Cena’s latest movie is abysmal, but it also continues a disappointing career trend that could affect his future.
John Cena’s “Rotten” Streak Of Movies On Rotten Tomatoes Explained
From 2019 to 2024, John Cena has suffered from a pretty terrible string of failed movies. Although there are some winners in there, including Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and The Suicide Squad, the rest are complete flubs. For example, John Cena’s worst movie in the past five years was an action comedy called Freelance, which came out in 2023 and earned a 6% critics’ score. From there, 2020’s Dolittle received a 15%, Vacation Friends 2 got a 19%, and both Playing With Fire and Hidden Strike had 24%. All this after a success streak in 2017/2018.
John Cena’s Most Recent Movies | Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score | Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
Ricky Stanicky | 47% | 72% |
Argylle | 33% | 72% |
Freelance | 6% | 76% |
Vacation Friends 2 | 19% | 38% |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | 95% | 90% |
Hidden Strike | 24% | 55% |
Barbie | 88% | 83% |
Fast X | 56% | 84% |
The Independent | 35% | 74% |
Vacation Friends | 57% | 54% |
The Suicide Squad | 90% | 82% |
F9 The Fast Saga | 59% | 82% |
Dolittle | 15% | 76% |
Playing With Fire | 24% | 77% |
Something strange and notable about John Cena’s Rotten Tomatoes streak is that, in recent years, his critics’ scores are completely opposite of his audience scores. What this means is that, although his critics’ scores signal a long line of bad movies, audiences have actually been really enjoying them. In fact, almost all of Cena’s “bad” movies have had fairly high audience scores, ranging from 70% to 80%. In this way, they can’t truly be called flops.
Will Grand Death Lotto Fix John Cena’s Rotten Tomatoes Streak?
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f John Cena needs a critically sound movie to fix his Rotten Tomatoes streak, Grand Death Lotto could be perfect. The film follows Katie, a woman who wins the lottery and is forced to team up with a jackpot protector so that she can make it to sundown and claim her billion dollar prize. However, her situation gets tricky when her protector’s rival enters the scene, and the two must fight over who gets to protect Katie. Grand Death Lotto has a few exciting cast members alongside John Cena and a well-known director, giving this movie plenty of potential.
In Grand Death Lotto, John Cena plays the initial jackpot protector, Noel. His client, Katie, is played by Awkwafina, who has seen recent success in The Little Mermaid and Kung-Fu Panda 4. Meanwhile, Cena’s rival jackpot protector is played by Simu Liu, who stands out for his role as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. If the cast isn’t positive enough, the movie is directed by Paul Feig, who has had hits like Bridesmaids, but also some flops along the way. Therefore, Grand Death Lotto has the potential to do great, and yet, could just as easily fail.
Could Heads Of State Fix John Cena’s Rotten Tomatoes Streak?
If Grand Death Lotto doesn’t work out, John Cena has yet another chance for redemption in 2024. Heads of State is an action comedy film that, according to iMDb, is a sort of buddy-cop movie, similar to Hobbs & Shaw. Though little has been explained about the actual plot of the film, it has been revealed that the movie has a star-studded cast, including John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Jack Quaid. Furthermore, Heads of State is being led by Russian director Ilya Naishuller, who previously worked on Nobody and Hardcore Henry, which were liked and disliked respectively.
While Heads of State has a promising cast, its direction could go either way. Grand Death Lotto has a similar, yet opposite predicament, wherein the cast is small, yet the director has several big successes under his belt. Regardless, either of these movies could break John Cena from his Rotten Tomatoes rut. Hopefully, these upcoming films will not just be enjoyable for audiences, but will also give critics something to appreciate. In this way, John Cena can see the movie redemption he deserves.
Ricky Stanicky
RComedy- Director
-
Peter Farrelly
- Release Date
-
March 7, 2024
- Writers
-
Jeff Bushell
, Brian Jarvis
, James Lee Freeman
, Peter Farrelly
, Pete Jones
, Mike Cerrone - Cast
-
Zac Efron
, Jermaine Fowler
, Andrew Santino
, Lex Scott Davis
, Anja Savcic
, Jeff Ross
, William H. Macy
, John Cena
Freelance
RActionComedy- Director
-
Pierre Morel
- Release Date
-
October 27, 2023
- Writers
-
Jacob Lentz
- Cast
-
John Cena
, Alison Brie
, Juan Pablo Raba
, Christian Slater
, Alice Eve
Vacation Friends 2
RComedyWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Clay Tarver
- Release Date
-
August 25, 2023
- Writers
-
John Francis Daley
, Jonathan M. Goldstein
, Tim Mullen
, Tom Mullen
, Clay Tarver - Cast
-
John Cena
, Lil Rel Howery
, Yvonne Orji
, Meredith Hagner
, Steve Buscemi
, Carlos Santos
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
PGActionAdventureWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Jeff Rowe
- Release Date
-
August 4, 2023
- Writers
-
Brendan O’Brien
- Cast
-
Nicolas Cantu
, Micah Abbey
, Shamon Brown Jr.
, Brady Noon
, Jackie Chan
, Ayo Edebiri
, Seth Rogen
, John Cena
Barbie
PG-13ComedyAdventureFantasyWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Greta Gerwig
- Release Date
-
July 21, 2023
- Writers
-
Noah Baumbach
, Greta Gerwig - Cast
-
Margot Robbie
, Ryan Gosling
, Simu Liu
, Ariana Greenblatt
, Helen Mirren
, Nicola Coughlan
, John Cena
, Will Ferrell
, Ritu Arya
, Michael Cera
, America Ferrera
, Alexandra Shipp
, Kate McKinnon
Hidden Strike
TV-14ActionAdventureComedyWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Scott Waugh
- Release Date
-
July 28, 2023
- Writers
-
Arash Amel
- Cast
-
Jackie Chan
, John Cena
, Pilou Asbæk
Dolittle
PGComedyActionAdventureFamilyFantasyWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Stephen Gaghan
- Release Date
-
January 1, 2020
- Writers
-
Stephen Gaghan
, Hugh Lofting
, Thomas Shepherd - Cast
-
Robert Downey Jr.
, Octavia Spencer
, John Cena
, Selena Gomez
, Kasia Smutniak
, Harry Collett
, Craig Robinson
, Jim Broadbent
, Carmen Ejogo
, Frances de la Tour
, Michael Sheen
, Jessie Buckley
, Marion Cotillard
, Emma Thompson
, Antonio Banderas
, Tom Holland
, Kumail Nanjiani
, Rami Malek
, Ralph Ineson
, Ralph Fiennes
Playing with Fire
PGComedyWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
Andy Fickman
- Release Date
-
November 8, 2019
- Writers
-
Dan Ewen
, Matt Lieberman - Cast
-
Judy Greer
, Tyler Mane
, Finley Rose Slater
, John Cena
, Christian Convery
, Keegan-Michael Key
, John Leguizamo
, Brianna Hildebrand
The Suicide Squad
RActionAdventureComedyScience FictionWhere to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
- Director
-
James Gunn
- Release Date
-
August 5, 2021
- Writers
-
James Gunn
- Cast
-
Margot Robbie
, Viola Davis
, Idris Elba
, John Cena
, Joel Kinnaman
, Michael Rooker
