Jason Momoa may be one of the most successful actors in Hollywood thanks to his roles in movies like Aquaman, Fast X, and Dune. But there was a time when Momoa’s foray into action fare failed at the box office.

So, the story goes back to 2011, when Momoa played the lead role in the remake of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian. It was the role Arnold Schwarzenegger played in 1982.

“I've been a part of a lot of things that really su**ed. And movies where it's out of your hands. Conan [the Barbarian] was one of them," said Momoa via British GQ. "It's one of the best experiences I had. And it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of s*it”.

The makers of the original Conan invested nearly $20 million and earned between $70 and $80 million worldwide. On the contrary, Momoa’s Conan was made on a $90 million budget but earned just $63.5 million worldwide, per Entertainment Weekly.

Featuring famous stars like Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, and Ron Perlman, the 2011 movie not only failed at the box office but also disappointed critics.

Rotten Tomatoes gave Momoa’s Conan the Barbarian a 25 percent rating. Apart from that popular movie critics website, Keith and the Movies, created by film critic Keith Garlington, gave this movie 2 stars.

According to the review, Momoa’s Conan the Barbarian, directed by Marcus Nispel, became a flop because it could not live up to the original film. Garlington wrote that the movie started impressively. But lost momentum in the 2nd half, with a predictable story and an underwhelming ending.

According to the review, the visual effects also disappointed the fans.

Although fans and critics did not like Conan the Barbarian, released in 2011, according to Momoa, the 7-time Mr. Olympia Schwarzenegger liked the movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger liked Jason Momoa’s Conan the Barbarian

According to Digital Spy, Momoa once admitted that Schwarzenegger liked his portrayal of Conan.

“I've never met Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I heard he watched it," Momoa told Parade, as per Digital Spy. "He had a little private screening with [producer] Avi Lerner. And I heard he liked it, and that he said I did a good job.”

Although the Austrian Oak never openly admitted anything, one thing that cannot be ignored is that Momoa worked very hard for this role.

“To prepare for the role, Momoa underwent an intensive six-week training program at a stunt and martial arts academy before even officially signing on for the film," as per Indie Wire. “Bullet Train director David Leitch and John Wick helmer Chad Stahelski helped Momoa gain over 10 pounds of muscle to become Conan.”

Have you watched this movie? If so, what did you think of it?

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for all things fitness!

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi