‘Sabotage’ bombs at the box office: Is the ‘Age of Arnold’ over?

Aging action star Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the box office powerhouse he once was.

The 66-year-old’s latest film, the $35 million actioner "Sabotage," bombed hard this weekend, taking in just $5.3 million and winding up in seventh place. Despite a last-minute promotional push by Schwarzenegger, the film’s poor performance wasn’t a surprise to many. With little in the way of marketing (and no Canadian distributor at all), the David Ayer-directed action thriller had little hope of competing against high-profile offerings like “Noah” and holdovers “Divergent” and “Muppets Most Wanted.”

“Sabotage” is the third flop in a row for the Governator (the other two being last year’s “The Last Stand” and “Escape Plan”), and yet another blow to Schwarzenegger’s once unquestionable status as box office draw.

It wasn’t that long ago that the former Austrian bodybuilder was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Thanks to hits like “Conan the Barbarian,” “The Terminator,” “Total Recall,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” and “True Lies,” Arnold was the undisputed action movie king of the 1980s and '90s. A seven-year stint as the Governor of California also kept Schwarzenegger in the public eye, but his glory days as a butt kicking, one-liner spewing action hero seem to be well behind him.

Is that why his last three movies flopped? Factors like poor marketing certainly had something to do with the failures of “Sabotage,” “Escape Plan,” and “The Last Stand.” But maybe audiences just don’t want to see an action movie starring a senior citizen.

But what about "The Expendables”? Sure, 1980s-style action flicks like “The Expendables” work on the strength of their ensemble casts. They are a greatest hits album of old school action. However, if you put any one member of that ensemble in a movie on their own, the results are usually the same. Much like Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and company haven’t had much luck at the box office as of late outside of “The Expendables” movies.

So what does Arnold need to do to really make a comeback? Play the nostalgia card, of course!

The action star has shown that he's more than willing to play up his status as a living Internet meme, frequently poking fun at himself and even recording his famous one-liners for fans online. Upcoming sequels to three of Schwarzenegger’s most famous movies look to capitalize on that status: “Terminator Genesis” (the fifth film in the long running sci-fi series) begins shooting this spring, “The Legend of Conan” will go into production shortly thereafter, and a follow-up to the buddy comedy "Twins" (entitled "Triplets") will reunite Arnold with Danny DeVito.

And if all that weren't enough, the action icon will also reprise the role of Trench in the all-star sequel "The Expendables 3" in August.

Action movies aren't the only thing the future holds for the Governator. Arnold also has a bit of a wild card up his sleeve: a dramatic role! The zombie apocalypse film "Maggie" will put Schwarzenegger in the role of Wade, the father of a teen girl (Abigail Breslin) who becomes infected with the disease that turns people into zombies. It's Arnold like we've never seen him before! Drama -- even a drama tinged with horror and action -- is a definite departure for the actor. Schwarzenegger's role in "Maggie" could be just what's needed to help right his flagging career.

"The Expendables 3" and "Maggie" are due out in 2014. "Terminator: Genesis" hits theatres in 2015.