Mark Wahlberg Breaks Poor Rotten Tomatoes Streak With New Drama Movie

Mark Wahlberg’s new drama, Arthur the King, breaks the actor’s streak of poor Rotten Tomatoes scores. The movie, which is based on a true story, follows Michael Light (Wahlberg), who is participating in an endurance race in the Dominican Republic with a team of athletes. Along the way, the team runs into a stray dog they cannot shake off. However, the dog, dubbed Arthur, captivates the world as he continues tagging along for hundreds of miles, crossing rivers and mountains to complete a race most humans can’t.

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics’ reviews of Arthur the King are leaning positive. The adventure movie is currently sitting at a still-fresh 64% critics’ score based on 50 reviews. However, its audience score is a stellar 95% based on over 100 reviews. As more reviews come in, the ratings could change. If the movie maintains a fresh rating, though, it will be the first fresh movie Wahlberg has starred in since 2018.

See below for the Rotten Tomatoes scores of all Wahlberg’s films after 2018:

Why Do Mark Wahlberg’s Movies Struggle on Rotten Tomatoes?

Wahlberg has been producing many of his movies.

It’s not surprising that Arthur the King is receiving positive attention since it has a feel-good and inspirational story featuring a canine. However, Wahlberg hasn’t had a fresh movie since Instant Family in 2018, which earned an 82% critical score. In particular, most of the movies have been produced by Wahlberg. The actor previously commented about struggling to win movie roles and waiting for stars like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio to reject them, resulting in him becoming “a producer out of necessity.”

Early in Wahlberg’s movie career, he gained recognition for starring in decidedly adult movies like Boogie Nights and critical acclaim for starring in gritty crime thrillers and dramas, such as Oscar-winning The Departed. However, he has spoken recently about shifting his focus to family-friendly movies. As a result, most of his films since 2018 are either lighthearted comedies, such as Me Time and The Family Plan, or inspirational movies, including Father Stu and Joe Bell.

Meanwhile, family movies, comedies, and inspirational films can have polarizing receptions. Inspirational movies, like Joe Bell, always risk being dubbed too melodramatic or formulaic. As Me Time and The Family Plan proved, comedies can be difficult to get right, especially when they derail into goofy territory. Then, films for the whole family, like Scoob! or Uncharted, run the risk of being surface-level or playing things too safe. Despite Wahlberg’s poor Rotten Tomatoes streak before Arthur the King, his movies still always draw viewers — they’re just the types of movies that are hard to get right.