Jasin Boland/Warner Bros./"San Andreas"
The disaster movie "San Andreas" starring Dwayne Johnson did better than expected over the weekend. Proving The Rock is a major action star.
Since the early 2000s, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has gone from being one of the biggest names at WWE to becoming one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood.
This was confirmed over the weekend when Johnson's latest film, disaster movie "San Andreas," topped all projections with a $53 million domestic opening weekend.
Johnson's blueprint for success has been filled with trial and error, but in the last five years he's hit his stride thanks to jumping on popular movie franchises and constantly engaging his huge fan base on social media.
The "San Andreas" opening proves Johnson doesn't just need to be the burly member of an ensemble to attract audiences.
Let's look at six reasons he's made the jump to super stardom.
1. He's learned from past failures.
Universal Pictures/"The Scorpion King"
He jumped around from straight-up action movies like "The Scorpion King" and "Doom," which showed off his exterior qualities, to more light-hearted fare that proved he could be entertaining on screen like "The Rundown" and "The Game Plan." He even slimmed down his size and tried to go the family-friendly route with films "Race to Witch Mountain," "Tooth Fairy," and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island." Though these different routes proved Dwayne Johnson was more than "The Rock," he wasn't a star who could carry a film.
So he got strategic.
2. The "Furious" franchise solidified his action star status.
Universal
Instead of trying to do it alone, as the action stars of the '80s and '90s did it, Johnson saw an opportunity to shine in movies with ensemble casts.
In 2011 he joined the "Fast and Furious" franchise in "Fast Five" as the massively huge (yes, he went back to the weight room) agent Hobbs who's hired to arrest Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his street racing gang. The movie was number one at the box office its opening weekend with $86 million (it went on to have a worldwide gross of over $600 million).
In 2013's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Johnson came onto the franchise headed by Channing Tatum as the jacked-up character Roadblock. No one ever questioned Johnson's believability in an action movie, but here we saw his talents working off other actors with sly one-liners. Again, the movie was number one at the box office its opening weekend with $40 million.
The same year, Johnson returned to play agent Hobbs in "Fast & Furious 6" and earlier this year in "Furious 7." Both films did number one their opening weekends at the box office. "FF 6" made close to $800 million worldwide while "Furious 7" has crossed $1 billion. The latter is now one of the most profitable franchises of all time for Universal.
Johnson's role in both were ingrained more in the storylines and audiences couldn't get enough of his dark stare and tough guy act.
But on the internet, we saw another side.
3. He's built a massive social media presence.
With over 49 million Facebook likes, 8 million plus followers on Twitter, and over 15 million followers on Instagram, Johnson has not been shy to show off his daily life to his fans, and that has only made him more relatable. From working out to flexing on The Great Wall of China to just washing his pick up truck, he's shown his fans everything with a hint of humor and likability that proves he's more just the tough guys he plays on screen.
It's also an example of the brand he's building.
4. He knows how to sell himself and a movie.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
But zany antics aren't anything new to Johnson. He was even on the debut episode of the popular Spike show "Lip Sync Battle." Could you have ever imagined Schwarzenegger or Stallone singing a popular pop song in their prime? And pull it off?
And knowing TV will only extend his brand to those who aren't into butt-kicking movies, Johnson will headline the HBO series "Ballers" later this month. In it he'll play a former football player who turns to being a financial adviser for former players (he's also an executive producer on the show).
5. He hasn't forgotten WWE fans.
WWE
Most recently he appeared at WrestleMania with UFC champion Ronda Rousey, who put the smackdown on WWE bigwig Stephanie McMahon after McMahon slapped The Rock. It turned out to be one of the most memorably moments of the evening.
Johnson is certainly aware that this is still his bread-and-butter fan base and has been smart to show that he still appreciates them.
6. Massive stunts/destruction only helps.
Warner Bros./"San Andreas"
Naturally, he's keeping the big movies coming. He's going to try his hand at another "Journey" film with "Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon," which will be out next year and will, if anything, be a CGI spectacle. And "Furious 8" is in the works ... we have a feeling that one will be big.