Big Screen Arnold

From bodybuilding greatness to becoming the number one action star of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s impact on Hollywood has been mindblowing. With over $3 billion in box office gross* it’s no
doubt that Arnold is the undisputed action king. MUSCLE INSIDER takes a look at his legendary film career and the latest rumours of
what’s to come

ARNOLD GETS MYTHIC: SWORD & SANDALS CINEMA

Arnold’s first film back in 1969 followed in the footsteps of the first famed bodybuilder in film, the legendary Steve Reeves. Before
Schwarzenegger began his domination of the action film genre throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Reeves was the only other bodybuilder to gain any real traction in Hollywood back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. His excellent physique and matinee idol good looks made him a star in films such as Hercules, Hercules Unchained, and Goliath and the Barbarians, just to name a few. So how did Arnold’s first outing go? Well, Hercules in New York (aka Hercules Goes Bananas) is more of a cult classic rather than a box office success. And the film starred “Arnold Strong” and the voice coming out of his mouth wasn’t the Austrian accent we’ve all grown used to. But the film did serve as a stepping stone and definitely paved the way for things to come. In 1982, Conan the Barbarian hit cinemas and fans were soon hooked on Arnold. While not a huge blockbuster, it did rake in over $100 million worldwide at the box office (video sales would later increase that to over $300 million). The film’s popularity spawned a sequel, Conan the
Destroyer, just two years later. In 1985, Arnold starred alongside Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja. Unfortunately, the film was a flop both critically and at the box office. Even Arnold himself wasn’t happy
with his role in this sword and sorcery film. He was once quoted as
saying, “It’s the worst film I have ever made. Now, when my kids get out of line, they’re sent to their room and forced to watch Red Sonja ten times. I never have too much trouble with them.”

THE RUMORMILL
It looks like Arnold will be returning once again to the role of Conan. While we felt Jason Momoa looked the part in the Conan the Barbarian relaunch in 2011, the story fell short and the fi lm was a box-office flop. Let’s face it—people want to see Arnold in that role. And the proposed Legend of Conan may just fit the bill. Let’s hope Arnold can juggle this and his commitment to the new Terminator franchise. This is a movie we are dying to see: a more seasoned Cimmerian picking up the sword one last time. Awesome!

PUMPING IRON

Every true fan of bodybuilding has seen George Butler’s 1977 masterpiece, Pumping Iron. This groundbreaking independent documentary brought the relatively unknown subculture of bodybuilding to the big screen for the world to see and set the groundwork for one man to eventually become an international superstar. And at the centre of this real-life, bigscreen drama was an Austrian bodybuilder who
dominated the competition. That man was of course Arnold Schwarzenegger. While he may have had a thick accent and his physique was something that moviegoers had never seen before, his charisma and appeal were undeniable. The film gave us a true sense of the man. His confidence, ambition, and raw machismo were there for all to see. You could tell it would only be a matter of time before Arnold made his mark on the world. You can bet gym membership sales skyrocketed after Pumping Iron came out.

GOOD FOR LOU

While Arnold clearly benefited most from the release of Pumping Iron,
he wasn’t the only one to make his mark in the film. Big Lou Ferrigno
made quite an impact himself. Soon after the film premiered, Lou was
offered the role that would change his life: playing the Incredible Hulk in the live-action television series.

The Terminator wasn’t the only cyborg that Schwarzenegger almost played. Arnold was originally cast to play the title character in Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop (1987). Unfortunately, the muscular Austrian had issues with the costume, leading the producers to recast the part to Peter Weller.

TERMINATOR

There’s no doubt that the Terminator is Arnold’s most infamous movie role. And with good reason. If you add up the box office of the first three films alone that Arnie starred in, they grossed a staggering $393,585,657 (and that translates into well over $650 million in dollars adjusted for inflation). Since then, we’ve gotten Terminator Salvation in 2009. And while we like Sam Worthington as an early model effort at a Terminator prototype, he’s just no Arnold. The highlight of the film was seeing a computer-generated younger version of the Governator’s
face grafted onto the physique of fellow Austrian bodybuilder Austrian bodybuilder Roland Kickinger. It gave us chills.

THE RUMORMILL

According to IMDb.com, Terminator 5 (known as Terminator: Genesis)
is already in pre-production. Rumours speculate that this time around, Arnold may play a human character, possibly someone linked to Sarah Connor’s past. Other sources suggested that it might be Dwayne Johnson stepping into the role of the homicidal cyborg from the future. But at this point, that is all purely conjecture. The only thing we know for
certain is the release date: July1, 2015. We can’t wait!

DID YOU KNOW?

Between all the Terminator films and the short-lived Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show, seven different actors played John Connors. And the casting of Jason Clarke in the new Terminator: Genesis offi cially raises that number to eight

MAKE US LAUGH!

While action films were denitely Arnold’s bread and butter, the Austrian Oak wasn’t afraid to venture into the world of comedy. And his success there was very impressive. Here are two of our favourites:

Twins (1988)
Julius Benedict was the perfect physical specimen raised on a South Sea island by scientists and philosophers. When Julius nds out he has a twin brother named Vincent, he sets out to America to nd his sibling. He soon discovers that he and his brother (played by Danny DeVito) are very di erent. This is the film that rst highlighted Arnold’s comedic timing beyond the humorous oneliners he would often spout in his action lms. He and DeVito would later pair up again six years later in Junior (1994).

Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Schwarzenegger plays John Kimble, a gritty city cop who’s been on the hunt for a drug dealer for years. To bring him to justice, Kimble must track down the man’s wife. The problem is, all he knows is the name of the school that her son attends. Kimble soon nds himself undercover on his toughest assignment yet … as a kindergarten teacher! Hilarity ensues. The lm is also memorable for one of Arnold’s well-known lm quotes: “It’s not a tumor!”

RUMORMILL

We hear that Arnold is in talks to do a follow-up to his hit film Twins
called Triplets. Some websites have speculated that in the fi lm Schwarzenegger and DeVito discover there’s a third Benedict brother. Best rumour of all? This brother is alleged to be played by Eddie Murphy

THE COMEBACK

With his days as governor behind him, Arnold has once more thrown
himself back into the movies … and we couldn’t be happier. While The
Expendables fi lms have been doing okay (and the third installment is
set for release this year), Arnold’s other recent outings (such as Escape
Plan and The Last Stand) have failed to capture the magic of his heyday. Thankfully for us, the Austrian Oak has decided to return to a few of his most popular franchises (including Conan, Twins, and The Terminator). Smart move in our books. We really want to see Schwarzenegger reprise these roles that helped to make him a household name. It’s gonna be a great few years at the movies for Arnold fans, no doubt!

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Lifetime Film Gross Total: $1,744,100,489
Average: $67,080,788
Adjusted Total (in Today’s Dollars): $3,080,236,100

Average: $118,470,600

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Box Office Gross: $204,843,345
In Adjusted Dollars: $381,466,000

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Box Office Gross: $150,371,112
In Adjusted Dollars: $195,507,400

True Lies
Box Office Gross: $146,282,411
In Adjusted Dollars: $274,367,000

Total Recall
Box Office Gross: $119,412,921
In Adjusted Dollars: $221,307,200

Twins
Box Office Gross: $111,938,388
In Adjusted Dollars: $218,131,200

Batman and Robin
Box Office Gross: $107,325,195
In Adjusted Dollars: $183,318,000

Eraser
Box Office Gross: $101,295,562
In Adjusted Dollars: $179,673,600

Kindergarten Cop
Box Office Gross: $91,457,688
In Adjusted Dollars: $170,173,400