Dwayne Johnson is undoubtedly the most successful athlete-turned-actor in Hollywood history, and he has headlined a ton of blockbuster franchises in his nearly three-decade-long movie career. After a short football career, The Rock became a household name when he made his debut as a professional wrestler in the late 1990s.

Johnson’s charisma couldn’t be contained in the wrestling ring, and Hollywood would quickly come calling. He would make a few small but memorable appearances on TV shows before he had his big break in The Mummy Returns in 2001. The Rock immediately jumped to starring roles, where his potential as an action hero became immediately obvious.

Almost as soon as he began landing roles in movies, The Rock was thrust into several franchises, many of which have become blockbusters. No matter what type of role he’s playing, Dwayne Johnson is a guaranteed draw, and he’s one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. Even if he only plays a small part, The Rock steals the show.

Though his franchises vary wildly in quality, The Rock can be counted on to turn in a strong performance. Some of his film series are legitimately excellent pieces of cinema, while others are fun diversions that put the emphasis on action and adventure. Regardless of their quality, Dwayne Johnson is a stalwart of franchise filmmaking.

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The DC Extended Universe

The Rock’s Superhero Career Hasn’t Really Worked Out

When compared to the towering success of their rival, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Comics’ modern cinematic offerings have been notoriously lackluster. Dwayne Johnson joined the DCEU as Black Adam in Shazam!, but the classic comic book villain only had a small appearance to tease future events in the fictional universe.

Eventually, Johnson would reprise his role in Black Adam, but the 2022 film got abysmal reviews and continued the DCEU’s streak of bad films. The Rock had big plans for DC that largely failed, and Black Adam was one of Johnson’s biggest financial flops in his otherwise strong career as a box office draw.

6

The Journey To The Center Of The Earth Movies

The Rock Replaced Brendan Fraser In The Sequel

In one of his final starring roles before his long hiatus, Brendan Fraser headlined 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Also starring Josh Hutcherson, the film loosely adapted the Jules Verne novel, but with more action. The first film was a big hit, and Dwayne Johnson was brought in to lead the sequel a few years later.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island continued the story of Hutcherson’s Sean Anderson, and The Rock was in his usual form as a beefy action hero. The sequel got comparable reviews to its predecessor, and did even better at the box office. However, another sequel has yet to materialize, and the Journey franchise probably won’t be coming back anytime soon.

5

G.I. Joe

The Rock Added Some Major Muscle To The Sequel

The beloved toy and cartoon series finally got its live-action adaptation with 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and it was a resounding success. Though reviews were quite harsh, its box office numbers simply couldn’t be denied. Naturally, a sequel followed a few years later that added a lot of action movie star-power, including The Rock.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation got even worse reviews, and did decently at the box office considering its budget. Johnson was tapped to star as Roadblock, one of the more popular figures from the G.I. Joe universe. Unlike other franchises which tried to force The Rock out of his comfort zone, G.I. Joe knew he was best suited as a no-nonsense hero.

4

The Mummy

Dwayne Johnson’s Original Movie Franchise

The Mummy Returns was the second film in the rebooted Mummy franchise, and followed in the footsteps of the wildly popular action horror hit from 1999. In Returns, The Rock has a memorable role as The Scorpion King, an ancient Egyptian figure who serves as something of the wraparound villain for the sequel.

His climactic appearance at the end of the film saw him transformed into a literal man/scorpion creature, and while the CGI was laughably bad, it was still a memorable way to top off a great action film. The Mummy Returns was The Rock’s only appearance in the mainline Mummy franchise, though it would inspire its own series of films.

The Rock returned to once again star in The Scorpion King, a prequel that is loosely connected to The Mummy. The action-centric film was Johnson’s first-ever starring role, and can be credited with launching his movie career in earnest. Though it got poor reviews, it spawned a legion of sequels, none of which starred The Rock.

3

Fast & Furious

The Ultimate Modern Action Franchise

It’s hard to believe, but there were already four Fast & Furious movies before Dwayne Johnson signed on as Luke Hobbs. The U.S. DSS Agent starts as something of an adversary for the family in Fast Five, but quickly evolves into a hero who switches sides.

Hobbs is the perfect role for The Rock, and he speaks softly and carries a big gun in most of his appearances. He would return in Fast & Furious 6, and was upgraded to a larger part of the story. That trend would continue in the next two installments in the series. Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious.

The Hobbs era of the franchise is where things truly went overboard, but it wasn’t all bad. Many of the latter films in the Fast & Furious franchise embraced the silliness of their concept, and became bombastic thrill rides that never took themselves too seriously.

The Rock would get his own spinoff from the main Fast & Furious franchise with Hobbs and Shaw, though he would make a surprise return in Fast X. With the franchise still ongoing, it’s unclear if The Rock will continue to appear, or if he’s already made his final appearance as Hobbs.

2

Moana

The Rock Teams Up With Disney

After years of playing heavily-muscled tough-guys in action movies, The Rock took a big step in his career when he lent his voice to the 2016 Disney film, Moana. The modern animated classic tapped Johnson to voice the role of Maui, a trickster demigod who ᴀssists the тιтular hero on her journey across the ocean.

Besides delivering a well-crafted story and beautiful visuals, Moana was the first time that another side of The Rock came out on screen. He was funny and charismatic, but there was also a vulnerability that is almost never on display in The Rock’s other roles. The film was a smashing success, and The Rock’s performance was a big reason why.

A sequel arrived in 2024, and Johnson returned to co-star. While Moana 2 got mixed reviews, it grossed over $1 billion at the box office (via Box Office Mojo), and was one of the most successful films of the year. What’s more, it’s clear that the franchise is near-and-dear to Johnson’s heart, because it involves aspects of his culture.

1

Jumanji

The Rock’s Playful Action/Adventure Franchise

The Rock’s lengthy career has seen him appear in plenty of excellent movies, and some are even better than the installments in the Jumanji franchise. However, no film series has better encapsulated Dwayne Johnson’s filmography quite like the legacy sequels to the 1995 classic.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle puts a fresh spin on the original by sending a group of youngsters into a video game world where they inhabit avatars that represent action/adventure archetypes. The Rock’s Dr. Xander Bravestone is a humorous send-up to the types of roles that have made Johnson famous.

The film itself is a endearing romp with a lot of heart and humor. Welcome to the Jungle knows exactly what it needs to be, and excels at delivering a charming adventure. It also has fun with its concept, and bringing the franchise into the modern age with a video game twist was a clever use of the original story.

The entire cast of Welcome to the Jungle reprised their roles in Jumanji: The Next Level, and both modern Jumanji sequels have been big financial successes. It seems as if the Dwayne Johnson franchise isn’t over, and it’s only a matter of time before another sequel is on the horizon.