Schwarzenegger is back, and Hollywood hopes he's still a star

Reuters ^ | Sunday, January 6, 2013 | Ronald Grover and Zorianna Kit

[SunkenCiv]

A year after leaving the California governor's office and becoming tabloid fodder for fathering a boy with his family's housekeeper and splitting with his wife, Maria Shriver, the 65-year old former bodybuilder will star in no less than three Hollywood movies over the next 12 months.

None are likely to win Schwarzenegger an Oscar. Indeed, the movies, and Schwarzenegger's own fee, are low-budget compared with his global blockbusters of yore. But studio executives are betting that overseas fans especially will once again respond to a personality whose 24 films generated worldwide ticket sales of $3.9 billion, according to boxoffice.com.

"He is still a worldwide star who resonates with action audiences around the world," said Rob Friedman, the co-chairman of the Lionsgate motion picture group, which is scheduled to release his next two films. "The Last Stand" will open on January 18, and "The Tomb" in September.

"Ten," the third film, is scheduled for release in January 2014 by Open Road Films, a joint venture of the AMC and Regal Theater chains.

"When you have left the movie business for seven years, it's kind of a scary thing to come back because you don't know if you're accepted or not," Schwarzenegger said at a Saturday press event for "The Last Stand."

"There could be a whole new generation of action stars that come up in the meantime."

The actor said he was "very pleasantly surprised" by what he called a "great reaction" to his cameo in the 2010 action film "The Expendables," which featured fellow action stars Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. The film grossed $103.1 million in U.S. ticket sales and $274.5 million worldwide.

Since then, Schwarzenegger appeared in a second "Expendables" and says he will join a fifth installment of the "Terminator" if it is made.

[chris37]

His star has fallen.

His governorship was of no consequence.

That being said, his earlier movies are some of the best ever made in my opinion.

[Revolting cat!]

If Ahnold ain’t a star then he he still run for POTUS.

[Darren McCarty]

I’ll pass. He hasn’t had a good movie since Terminator 2. Or maybe even Commando or Running Man

[EEGator]

I agree that this movie won’t do well, but I bet Zero Dark Thirty and Gangster Squad both do well.

[GOPsterinMA]

F**k Schwartzenkennedy. Plus, he looks like an old lesbian.

[vladimir998]

No, but we all know he can tank.

[discostu]

I actually kind of want to see both, at least currently, but chances are they won’t. That’s why they’re being opened now, because they didn’t test well either in showings in or interest polls. Hollywood is pretty good at knowing which movies are going to make cash, and pretty good at knowing which weekends bring people out. January isn’t a dump zone because they decided it’s a good place to release bad movies, it’s a dump zone because people don’t go see movies in January, so they might as well not waste good release dates on movies that are going to tank.

[fattigermaster]

“Conan the King”.

[Lancey Howard]

Best Arnold movies:
1. Terminator 2
2. Terminator
3. Total Recall
4. Kindergarten Cop
5. True Lies

[Argus]

Domestic BO on these movies is secondary - he’s still a marquee draw abroad and that’s where they make profit.

[exit82]

AHHHnold was such a disappointment.

I cannot look at him and not see the worst Republican I have ever seen.

For all this country gave him, he paid it back by helping the left destroy California, and the nation.

He should have stayed in Austria.

A real Trojan Horse to the conservative cause.

[EEGator]

Understood. I want to see both of the flicks, especially Zero Dark Thirty.

[exit82]

AHHHnold was such a disappointment.

I cannot look at him and not see the worst Republican I have ever seen.

For all this country gave him, he paid it back by helping the left destroy California, and the nation.

He should have stayed in Austria.

A real Trojan Horse to the conservative cause.

[MinorityRepublican]

Clint Eastwood on the other hand has aged gracefully and plays realistic roles as an old man.

I love Clint Eastwood! He was great in recent movie he did, "Trouble with the Curve"

[chris37]

I wonder what the Jerkinator’s position on gun control is...

[Charles Henrickson]

Already in pre-production:

Conan the Septuagenarian
Partial Recall
True Lie-downs
Senior
Terminator 6: Rise of the Breathing Machines

[bramps]

...looks like an old lesbian.

---

that’s excellent!

[Tanniker Smith]

It was a great scene he had with Willis and Stallone in "The Expendables". I'd almost hoped that he was going to show up again later in the movie, even though I knew that could probably be the only thing he'd have time to shoot.

I missed "Expendables 2", and I thought the trailer should've played up the "I'm back" (as opposed to "I'll be back.") bit. I'll catch it on video.

Ahnold had said that if there were an Exp-3, he'd like a bigger part.

[Tanniker Smith]

I liked "Total Recall". There was no reason to remake that yet. The tech in the original was good, not today's standard, but not so primitive that they were outdated and needed remaking.

I think someone in Hollywood just said, "We can improve the triple-breasted hooker!"

"Kindergarten Cop" was also fun. And seeing Ahnold dressed down by (very small) Linda Hunt was priceless. She's small, but very authoritative.

[twister881]

“I’ll be back...in a wheelchair.”