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Conceptually, 1993’s “Last Action Hero” seemed to have it all. With megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger spoofing his own muscle-bound screen persona as fictional Jack Slater, a script co-written by “Lethal Weapon” scribe Shane Black, and “Die Hard” helmer John McTiernan in the director’s chair, “Last Action Hero” was poised to successfully lampoon the genre from the inside out. Unfortunately, the film was an explosive box office misfire. Schwarzenegger tells Insider that Clintonian-era culture shifts created prejudice against “Last Action Hero” before it opened, but it’s more likely that audiences were merely confused about the movie. According to We Minored in Film’s oral history of the movie, Schwarzenegger and McTiernan wanted more time to fix the film after poor test screenings, but they were refused.
As Jack Slater says, “Big mistake.” “Last Action Hero” was crushed at the box office by “Jurassic Park,” which, at the time, had the biggest opening weekend on record (via the Los Angeles Times). The movie wasn’t an all-out flop, but with Box Office Mojo reporting the film’s estimated budget at $85 million and it taking in only $50 million domestically, “Last Action Hero” was deemed a box office zero.
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Despite its mediocre theatrical run, “Last Action Hero” is a fun, escapist flick just begging for a remake. Surely the dream of being sucked into a cinematic fantasy still might resonate. If a “Last Action Hero” remake happens, hopefully it has better timing with its release.
