Hollywood’s biggest stars are often seen as a safe bet at the box office, with their names alone capable of drawing audiences to theatres. But even the most bankable actors can have a difficult year when their ambitious projects fail to meet expectations.
In 2026, several high-profile releases arrived in theaters promising big-screen spectacles. Yet not every film became the box-office success its leading men would’ve hoped for.
While box office disappointments are hardly unusual in Hollywood, they can be particularly striking when they involve actors accustomed to delivering major hits.
From blockbuster franchises to ambitious original projects, these setbacks serve as a reminder that even established names aren’t immune to shifting audience tastes and unpredictable theatrical fortunes.
Here are five Hollywood stars who faced a harsh reality check in 2026 as their big-screen ventures fell short of expectations.
#1 Dwayne Johnson (Moana)
Following a highly successful professional wrestling career, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson moved into acting in the 2000s and became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars by the following decade.
With successful franchises such as Fast & Furious and Jumanji among his credits, Johnson’s films have grossed more than $15 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
After Black Adam (2022) received mixed reviews, questions emerged about Johnson’s box-office appeal. He later made a significant creative departure from past roles with The Smashing Machine (2025), playing real-life mixed martial artist Mark Kerr.
Johnson earned praise for his performance, but The Smashing Machine grossed just $21.1 million against a reported $50 million production budget.
In 2026, Johnson reprised his role as Maui in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Moana (2016). The film grossed $323.6 million worldwide, less than half the original animated movie’s $687.2 million haul.
In response to the film’s box office performance, one X user wrote:
“Stop feeding Dwayne Johnson’s ego and stop giving him roles.”
“The Rock’s face on the posters and the poor critic reviews certainly didn’t help either,” a second person commented.
Several fans noted that Johnson is no longer the same box office draw he was a decade ago, largely because of his lack of versatility.
“You can only see the rock play the rock in a movie so many times,” one Reddit user said.
Johnson later responded to the film’s mixed reviews and box-office performance in an interview with People.
He said, “That’s just the way it goes because we’re in this business.”
“If you love it, great. If you don’t, no problem,” the 54-year-old added.
Johnson’s next projects include Jumanji: Open World and Lizard Music.
Image source: Disney
#2 Tom Cruise (Digger)
Tom Cruise is arguably the biggest movie star of his generation, with a filmography that has grossed more than $13.3 billion worldwide.
After Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Cruise took an extended break from theatrical releases before returning with Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The blockbuster became the highest-grossing film of his career, reaffirming his box-office appeal.
However, Cruise’s latest release, Digger, has emerged as both a critical and commercial setback.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Digger is a black comedy starring Cruise as wealthy oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. Cruise underwent a dramatic transformation for the role, which marked his return to an original, non-franchise film after nearly a decade.
Despite the initial buzz, Digger faced criticism over Cruise’s GQ photoshoot and cover story, which reportedly complicated the film’s promotional campaign. The film also received a 53% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Digger opened to just $8 million in the US, marking Cruise’s lowest opening weekend in 19 years. As of October 11, 2026, it had grossed $35.3 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $125–180 million.
Before its release, industry estimates suggested that Digger needed to gross $300–350 million to break even, given its production budget and marketing costs.
With its theatrical earnings falling well short of that threshold, the film could become one of the biggest commercial disappointments of Cruise’s career, losing roughly $245 million.
Several fans blamed the film’s performance on what they saw as inadequate marketing and an overreliance on Cruise’s star power.
“Ads didn’t tell us anything except it was a Tom Cruise film. Should have indicated what it was about,” one Reddit user said.
A second said, “Tom Cruise doesn’t draw audiences anymore.”
Cruise’s next project is expected to be the much-awaited sequel to Days of Thunder (1990).
Image source: Warner Bros.
#3 Anthony Mackie (Desert Warrior)
Anthony Mackie rose to global prominence playing Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Mackie played Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame (2019), which became the year’s highest-grossing film. The blockbuster also laid the groundwork for Wilson to succeed Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers as Captain America.
After reprising the role in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), Mackie debuted as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Despite grossing $415 million worldwide, the movie received mixed reviews and prompted questions about Mackie’s box-office appeal. His next theatrical release, Desert Warrior, added to those concerns.
The historical action film was meant to be a major boost for the Saudi film industry, but production was plagued by delays. Although filming wrapped in 2022, the movie did not reach US theaters until April 24, 2026.
The film received negative reviews and earned just $472,111 during its US opening weekend. Its debut in Saudi Arabia was even weaker, bringing in only $87,000.
With a reported production budget of $150 million and a weak theatrical run, Desert Warrior became one of the biggest commercial setbacks of Mackie’s career.
“I’ve said this many times. Anthony Mackie does not have what it takes to lead any kind of film or TV show,” one X user said.
Another wrote, “His whole career is centered around Marvel; outside that, his movies are flops.”
Mackie will reprise his role as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set for release on December 18, 2026.
Image source: Vertical
#4 Nicholas Galitzine (Masters Of The Universe)
Since making his acting debut in 2014, Nicholas Galitzine has built a filmography that includes several popular streaming titles.
Galitzine played Prince Robert opposite Camila Cabello in Cinderella (2021). He subsequently gained recognition as a romantic lead in Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) and The Idea of You (2024).
Amazon Studios backed all three streaming releases before casting Galitzine as Adam Glenn/He-Man in Masters of the Universe (2026), a major theatrical bet on the actor’s appeal.
Based on Mattel’s toy line of the same name, Masters of the Universe was Galitzine’s most expensive theatrical leading role to date. The film received mostly positive reviews but fell short at the box office.
Made on a reported budget of $170–200 million, the film grossed $114 million worldwide, making it one of the year’s biggest box-office disappointments.
Many fans argued that Amazon Studios had overestimated Galitzine’s ability to turn online popularity into mainstream box-office appeal.
“Maybe if Nicholas Galitzine wasn’t He-Man, the movie wouldn’t have bombed at the box office,” one X user said.
Another added, “The Nicholas Galitzine experiment is coming to an end.”
Others blamed the film’s performance on weak marketing, its limited mainstream appeal, and what they described as “woke” elements. Many also argued that casting a more established box-office star could have improved its theatrical prospects.
Following its digital release, Masters of the Universe topped Prime Video’s most-watched movie rankings for five weeks. Many fans viewed the streaming success as evidence that Galitzine’s appeal had yet to translate into major theatrical drawing power.
Galitzine will next star in the sports drama The Mosquito Bowl, releasing on October 30, 2026.
Image source: Amazon MGM Studios
#5 Jacob Elordi (The Dog Stars)
After starring in The Kissing Booth franchise (2018–2021), Jacob Elordi rose to wider prominence for his portrayal of Nate Jacobs in HBO’s Euphoria (2019–2026).
Elordi earned his first Oscar nomination in January 2026 for his performance in Frankenstein (2025). He later starred in the romantic period drama Wuthering Heights, which grossed $241.7 million worldwide.
With his profile rising, Elordi was widely tipped to become one of Hollywood’s next major box-office draws. However, the actor soon faced one of the worst moments in his career when The Dog Stars arrived in theaters in August 2026.
Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name. It received mixed reviews from critics and severely underperformed at the box office, grossing only $39 million against an estimated $70 million budget.
“I have no idea what this guy’s appeal is or why studios and the media are so keen to push him,” one Reddit user wrote.
Another added, “He’s going to fade away like the others before him.”
Some viewers argued that Elordi’s television popularity had yet to translate into mainstream box-office appeal. While many attributed the film’s failure to his limited star power, others pointed to Scott’s direction.
Meanwhile, speculation that the Euphoria star was a frontrunner to become the next James Bond cooled following The Dog Stars’ disappointing box-office performance.
More recently, Elordi has attracted attention for his relationship with Kendall Jenner instead of his upcoming projects. His next reported project is the horror film Outer Dark, which remains in development.
Image source: 20th Century Studios
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