Despite numerous negative reviews, the latest film of Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, dominated the U.S. and International Box Office records during the weekend. On opening day, "San Andreas" earned roughly $53 million, beating other big films, as reported by news.com.au.
Among the movies that "San Andreas" has beaten in the box office ratings is its fantasy competitor "Tomorrowland" starring George Clooney, which only made $32 million. The film also earned more than five times the romantic comedy film "Aloha," which stars Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams. "Aloha" only earned roughly $10 million on its opening weekend. Other films that "San Andreas" out-muscled include "Pitch Perfect," which is currently ranked second in the U.S. box office, "Mad Max: Fury Road," which is at no. 4, and "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which is at no. 5, according to Yahoo News.
While the box office ratings clearly show that many people enjoyed the movie, a number of movie critics thought otherwise. Most of these critics thought that The Rock's acting ability did not match the film. Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone said that the movie has an "idiotically hilarious dialogue." He also did not like The Rock's portrayal of his character in the film and implied that the actor is better off with action and comedy roles. Meanwhile, Brian Truitt from USA Today commended The Rock's acting ability but said that because of the "ham-fisted script", it seems like there is still something lacking in the movie. On the other hand, Amy Nicholson of LA Weekly said that even if one sees L.A. in rubble, "you will feel nothing." She even said that the film "might get a soft pass for being corny."
Interestingly, Glenn Kenny from Roger Ebert had more positive things to say about the film. He reportedly thought that Johnson's performance was "solid" and "entirely convincing" despite its extremely narrow parameters. He also praised Brad Peyton's direction, particularly in the disaster scenes, which he thought were among the "most realistic in this [CGI] mode" he has ever seen. Overall though, he said that that there was nothing surprising about the film.
"San Andreas" movie revolves around the story of a rescue-chopper pilot Ray, played by Johnson, in the aftermath of a destructive earthquake in California. He scours the devastated state in an attempt to rescue his daughter. Carla Gugino, Ioan Gruffudd, and Alexandra Daddario are among the cast of the film.
