John Cena's "Freelance" flops in cinemas but finds success on Prime

John Cena, a former American wrestler, is making a bigger splash in Hollywood despite many of his films being poorly received by critics. His latest movie, "Freelance", has recently become a hit on Amazon Prime Video.

Perhaps the critic from "Hidden Remote" was correct who, during the action-comedy "Freelance" movie premiere period at the end of October last year, wrote: "This type of production should never make it to theatres. 'Freelance' is an incredibly cheap imitation of 'The Lost City' with Sandra Bullock. It's a romantic, tropical action-comedy that boasts, to put it mildly, lacklustre actors. Dull from the fifth minute right to its conclusion."

Meanwhile, Nick Rogers from the Midwest Film Journal thinks that "Freelance "will only appeal to die-hard John Cena fans. The content mirrors the barren, scorched-earth scenery that viewers are left to explore—a wasteland utterly void of promise."

"Cena might have found success as Peacemaker, and he may fit into Fast and Furious, but his range is so painfully restricted that watching him becomes a chore. The silver lining is that he’s unlikely to feature in a worse movie than Freelance. It wouldn’t be possible to hit a lower point," concludes the critic from Decider.

In cinemas, "Freelance" was an outright flop. With a production budget of £31 million and equally high promotional costs, the movie starring John Cena grossed a mere £7 million worldwide. A few years back, the Hollywood star might have considered retirement after such a monumental failure. Streaming platforms have come to the rescue, attracting viewers who aren’t as swayed by critics' opinions.

On the Rotten Tomatoes website, which collects movie reviews worldwide, "Freelance" only garnered two favourable critiques from professional reviewers. However, since its Video On Demand release, the audience has been far kinder, showering the film with positive ratings.