The buzz aroundSam Worthingtonwas incredibly strong in 2009. The Australian actor had been plucked from obscurity and cast byJames CameroninAvatar, his mysterious first film in over a decade. Audiences across the globe were excited to see what the filmmaker had cooked up with his state-of-the-art motion-capture technology; they were also excited about Worthington, who was being hailed in the press as an action star in the making. BeforeAvatar, audiences got a chance to catch Worthington in action inTerminator Salvation, a reboot of Cameron’s film franchise. And immediately afterAvatar, Worthington starred inClash of the Titans, a big-budget swords-and-sandals movie that made a decent amount of money at the box office. But with three major films on his resume, Worthington, by his own admission, became “arrogant.” He acknowledged this was the main reason why he didn’t get along with the director ofWrath of the Titans, his final non-Avatartent pole.
Wrath of the Titanshas now been overtaken at the box office byF1, the new sports drama headlined byBrad Pittand directed byJoseph Kosinski.F1has grossed $309 million at the worldwide box office so far, having passed the $305 million thatWrath of the Titansconcluded its run with in 2012. Directed byJonathan Liebesman, the moviecost a reported $150 millionto produce, and fell drastically short of the $495 million earned byClash of the Titans. It also earned poor reviews, and is currently sitting at a 26% score onRotten Tomatoes.
In an interview withVariety, Worthington said, “I decided to develop a dad-bod and that I wouldn’t care what I looked like. Of course, that’s antithetical to what a studio wants when they pay X amount of dollars to make a movie about a chiseled hero. My arrogance clashed with the studio and the director’s vision, and it turned into a horrible fight. I could have handled things differently, instead of showing up on the first day with a big belly.” A planned third installment, tentatively titledRevenge of the Titans, was scrapped. Worthington will next be seen inAvatar: Fire and Ash, which is due out in December.
‘F1’ Is a Crowd-Pleasing Hit
Meanwhile,F1is racing towards the $400 million mark, which it should be able to pass this weekend. Thanks to a near-perfect 97% audience score onRotten Tomatoes, positivereviews, and high potential for a sequel, the movie has turned out to be exactly the kind of four-quadrant crowd-pleaser that studios hope to deliver in the summer. You can watchF1in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
