Henry Cavill Followed His Worst Movie with a Box Office Hit in Man of Steel

Hollywood without Henry Cavill is something many can’t or simply don’t even want to think about anymore, but there certainly was a time when the actor wasn’t a staple in the industry. Henry Cavill’s acting career started all the way back in 2001 when he first appeared on-screen in the thriller Laguna, which is also known under the title Vendetta. Despite entering the industry over two decades ago, it wasn’t until 2007 that Cavill landed his breakout role. As one of the leading actors, he stepped into the role of Charles Brandon in the successful series The Tudors.

Acting alongside well-known names such as Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer or Outlander’s Maria Doyle Kennedy, Cavill was on the right track to achieve fame. Only when his worst movie, The Cold Light of Day, came along in 2012 was there a severe bump in his road to success. However, just a few months after the flop, Henry Cavill turned his fate around with a $670 million box office hit in Man of Steel, which allowed him to take his career straight to stardom.

Henry Cavill’s Worst Movie Is The Cold Light of Day

There is no doubt that quite a lot of actors out there have starred in at least one movie they would probably love to forget about and, on top of that, erase from the memory of anyone who watched it. Henry Cavill arguably also has one of those flops since his 2012 movie, The Cold Light of Day, failed to hit the right marks. Unfortunately, it is difficult to say something positive about it, which is confirmed by the fact that Cavill’s worst movie scored terribly on Rotten Tomatoes. With a score of 4%, there really is not much to add.

Despite the desperate attempt to create some sort of tension by basing the storyline on an ultimatum, Cavill’s movie barely generates enough heat to light a match. Interestingly enough, The Cold Light of Day is finding success on streaming now. Nonetheless, with a painfully predictable storyline, each scene was stripped of the chance of delivering some suspense or actual action. The best part about this let’s-rather-forget-it-exists thriller is seeing Cavill, even though his performance was seriously questionable, as he failed to carry the movie as the main character. Once Bruce Willis was out of the picture, the entire storyline fell apart, and so did Cavill.

Henry Cavill Turned His Career Around with Man of Steel

With his name attached to a movie that simply flopped, Cavill certainly had to work hard not to be stuck at the bottom of the acting industry. While some struggle to fight back into the spotlight, Cavill turned his career around with a massive, even surprising, bang. The flop of 2012 was followed by a $670 million box office hit, which catapulted Cavill into the golden sphere of stardom. In 2013, Henry Cavill became a part of a big franchise, as he landed the role of none other than the iconic Clark Kent, aka Superman, aka the muscular man with a cape who saves the day in the superhero movie Man of Steel.

Even though many critics took on the firm stance of finding the movie too flashy and highlighting that the storyline fails to develop organically, many fans of Superman praised Man of Steel. Unlike other superhero movies, Man of Steel kept the story grounded and real (as much as possible in a Superman film) by introducing relatable themes such as fears of the unknown and discovering one’s own identity. On top of this, the overall atmosphere is kept rather dark, which allows viewers to fully immerse themselves in the world of Superman and indulge in the action sequences as though they were a part of it themselves.

Man of Steel Is Arguably Henry Cavill’s Most Memorable Role

Considering that Cavill, at the time, wasn’t a well-known actor yet, taking on the role of Superman must have come with a ton of pressure and fear of expectations. With such an enormous role, the desire to deliver a mesmerizing performance and manage to follow in the footsteps of the iconic Superman actors before him was undoubtedly immense. Since Superman is one of the most iconic characters ever created, numerous people have portrayed the role on screen. Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, and Tyler Hoechlin are only a few of the actors who have portrayed Clark Kent in the past few decades.

However, Cavill spent a lot of time on his physical transformation to become Superman and fully embodied the characteristics of the superhero, making him one of the most special Superman actors. To this day, it is his face that comes to mind for many fans when thinking of Superman, and he certainly made quite an impact through his portrayal.

Henry Cavill’s success in Man of Steel was followed by his captivating portrayal of Napoleon Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in 2015 and taken even further when he played the role of August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, released in 2018. Over the years, Cavill has continued to prove that the action genre, in particular, just works well for him. He has the dedication, endurance, and physical and mental strength to pull off challenging roles, and it seems he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

It is safe to say that Man of Steel is not only responsible for his immense success but also turned him into a staple in Hollywood, allowing him to showcase his acting skills in different, equally impressive projects. Man of Steel is available to stream on Max.