23 Years Later, Dwayne Johnson’s Cult Buddy Comedy Is Moving to a New Streamer

6 days ago 11

Published Feb 21, 2026, 11:40 AM EST

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

It wasn't long ago that many were touting Dwayne Johnson for a Best Actor nomination ahead of next year's Academy Awards. As Mark Kerr in the Benny Safdie-directed The Smashing Machine, Johnson surprised the world by shifting from his usual Hollywood shtick to an emotionally demanding role that, although not entirely out of his wheelhouse, showed just how much untapped potential there was in his acting arsenal. Alas, the performance didn't lead to an Oscar nomination, but the recognition Johnson has received is still worth its weight in gold.

Johnson's reputation for starring in formulaic Hollywood nonsense doesn't mean he hasn't been involved in some praiseworthy projects, with one of his very first leading roles actually earning plenty of critical and audience applause. The Rundown, a buddy action comedy starring Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, and Rosario Dawson, was released in 2003 as the former WWE star's second starring turn, following his work as the titular Scorpion King the year prior.

As of March 1, 2026, you'll be able to catch The Rundown on Starz in the U.S. The movie earned a positive critical response, earning a 69% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus on the site reading, "The Rundown doesn't break any new ground, but it's a smart, funny buddy action picture with terrific comic chemistry between Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Seann William Scott." Audiences agreed with critics, awarding the film a 66% score.

'The Rundown' Was a Box Office Flop

Dwayne Johnson holds a shotgun over his shoulder with Seann William Scott behind him - poster for The Rundown

Despite starring Johnson in the year he famously fought Steve Austin in their final showdown in the main event of WrestleMania XIX, The Rock's name alone wasn't enough to turn The Rundown into a box office success. Against a reported production budget of $85 million, the movie failed to return its investment, earning just $80 million worldwide. Split between a domestic haul of $47 million and a further $33 million from overseas markets, The Rundown is one of the lowest-grossing movies in Johnson's career. A synopsis reads:

"Beck (The Rock) is a tight-lipped bounty hunter who doesn't like to use a gun and accepts any job without asking questions. When Beck's employer, Walker (William Lucking), sends him to the Amazon to locate Walker's cocky son, Travis (Seann William Scott), Beck discovers a population controlled by a tyrannical treasure hunter (Christopher Walken). To survive, Beck and Travis must work together, without their affections for a mysterious rebel (Rosario Dawson) getting in the way."

The Rundown is streaming on Starz this March. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.