Summary
Cena’s recent live-action movies on Rotten Tomatoes are mostly “Rotten,” with only one hit in the past few years.
Cena’s cameo in Barbie breaks his eight-movie “Rotten” streak for live-action roles.
Accepting the cameo in Barbie saved Cena’s streak from the poorly-reviewed projects.
John Cena has appeared in multiple films that have achieved “Fresh” status on Rotten Tomatoes, but as of late, his movies have been deemed “Rotten” except for one hit that featured a cameo by the actor. Cena’s most recent film — the 2024 comedy Ricky Stanicky — has a 47 percent score on the review-aggregation website as of the writing of this article. Since projects need at least a 60 percent score to reach “Fresh” status, it seems as if the Amazon Prime Video movie will remain “Rotten,” even as more reviews flood in following its premiere on March 7.
While Ricky Stankicky mostly received poor reviews, Cena’s films in the past few years haven’t fared much better among critics. Movies like Vacation Friends, The Independent, Fast X, Argylle, and more failed to be deemed “Fresh,” resulting in a depressing lineup of projects for the actor on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Cena briefly appeared in one of the biggest films of the 2020s, and his cameo undoubtedly saves his streak of poorly reviewed movies and proves how smart it was for him to accept the small role.
John Cena’s Amazing Barbie Cameo Now Breaks Up An 8-Movie “Rotten” Score Streak For His Live-Action Roles
John Cena made a cameo as Kenmaid, a merman version of Ken, alongside Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s hit movie Barbie. The fantasy comedy earned over $1.4 billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023, and it received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike (resulting in numerous nominations at prestigious award ceremonies). Barbie holds an 88 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes based on almost 500 reviews, and thanks to Gerwig’s movie, Cena doesn’t have an eight-film “Rotten” score streak for his live-action roles on the website.
Cena’s
Barbie
cameo was only made possible because he was shooting
Fast X
near the fantasy comedy’s set.
Following Cena’s starring role as Peacemaker in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the actor has primarily appeared in “Rotten” projects. His first movie after The Suicide Squad was Vacation Friends (57 percent), followed by The Independent (35 percent) and Fast X (56 percent). Fortunately, Cena’s next film was Barbie, but if he didn’t make a cameo in the award-winning feature, he would have an eight-movie “Rotten” score streak for his live-action parts. Following Barbie was Hidden Strike (24 percent), Vacation Friends 2 (19 percent), Freelance (6 percent), Argylle (33 percent), and Ricky Stanicky (47 percent).
Cena was previously unsure whether he should have accepted the role of Kenmaid in Barbie because he was advised against it. Plus, Cena’s Barbie cameo was only made possible because he was shooting Fast X near the fantasy comedy’s set. Ultimately, it’s a good thing the actor agreed to appear in the movie, given its critical acclaim and impressive box office.
Related Ricky Stanicky Cast & Character Guide Peter Farrelly’s new comedy Ricky Stanicky has a star-studded cast including such iconic actors as Zac Efron, John Cena, and Jermaine Fowler.
John Cena’s Bleak Rotten Tomatoes Streak Isn’t Actually Worrying For His Future Movies
Despite Cena’s recent track record of “Rotten” films on Rotten Tomatoes, all is not lost for the actor. The actor excels in R-rated comedies that don’t receive positive reviews from critics but are popular amongst audiences, which adds to his overall appeal. Cena also tends to mix in a few “Fresh” movies, like Barbie, The Suicide Squad, and Bumblebee, now and then to balance out his average score on the review-aggregation website.
Barbie
Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie’s Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.
Release Date July 21, 2023
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
Runtime 114 Minutes
Source: Rotten Tomatoes