27 Years After $20,000,000 Tank At The Box Office, Shaquille O’Neal Claims 2018 Kyrie Irving Film ‘Uncle Drew’ Was His Favorite

Nithin Joseph | 25/08/2023
27 Years After $20,000,000 Tank At The Box Office, Shaquille O'Neal Claims 5 Year Old Kyrie Irving Film 'Uncle Drew' Was His Favorite
Shaquille O’Neal has gained a reputation for himself as a jack of all trades. The Lakers legend is not only famous for his on-court dominance, but he is also well-known for being a rapper, DJ, savvy businessman, and NBA analyst. Add to that the fact that he has also indulged in the movie industry and you can certainly say he’s living up to his reputation. Speaking of the movie industry, Shaq has acted in several movies, the most famous being Kazaam and Steel. His movie Kazaam, released in 1996, didn’t do too well at the box office, despite its huge $20,000,000 budget. But, 27 years later, he is now reminiscing about his film along with “Uncle Drew”, a film he did with Kyrie Irving, 5 years ago in 2018.
The movie Kazaam came out in 1996 and had a huge budget at the time. Unfortunately, despite casting ‘The Big Aristotle’ in the lead role, it tanked. Grossing just $18,900,000, the film was described as a “box-office bomb”. It even got a measly rating of 3.1 out of 10 on IMDB. It was a mess, and probably infuriated Shaq, who on July 17th, the day of the movie’s release, was preparing himself for a move to Hollywood, where he would play with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite bombing at the box office Shaquille O’Neal claims Kazaam was his favorite movie along with Uncle Drew

Recently, Shaquille O’Neal shared an interesting clip from Uncle Drew. Shaq worked on the film which was released in 2018 with Kyrie Irving, and remarked that it is his favorite movie since Kazaam. The scene he shared featured his character celebrating in the hospital as his team won the match. However, his gown, not tied properly, gave the audience a revealing look at his behind.

Compared to Kazaam, the movie Uncle Drew was quite successful. Earning a 5.8 rating on IMDB, it starred Kyrie Irving, Nate Robinson, Reggie Miller, and Chris Webber. The story revolves around Dax, played by Lil Rel Howery, who drains his life savings in order to enter a team in the Rucker Classic street ball tournament, and how he enlists the help of Kyrie Irving, who plays Uncle Drew in order to win it all.

It was a fun film that basketball fans around the world enjoyed. It was especially entertaining thanks in part to Shaq, who played the role of Big Fella, one of Uncle Drew’s disgruntled teammates.

“Uncle Drew was my favorite movie since Kazaam.”

 

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In terms of box office numbers, Uncle Drew did reasonably well. It grossed $46,500,000 worldwide and finished fourth at the box office in its first week. Additionally, it was shortlisted for Best Comedy Movie of 2018, but failed to get nominated, losing out to The Spy Who Dumped Me, Blockers, Crazy Rich Asians, Love Simon, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. All in all, though, it was a fun experience for those involved.

Further, Shaq in his usual style wanted to capitalize on the success of the 2018 film by taking another step in the industry. And this time, he was aiming for a Marvel movie.

Shaq expressed his desire to work with Marvel just so he could kick Robert Downey Jr.’s a**

Around the time Uncle Drew came out in 2018, Shaquille O’Neal appeared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Here, he revealed his desire to work with Marvel. A huge fan of superheroes and comics in general, Shaq’s revelation wasn’t that surprising. However, his actual reason for wanting to work with Marvel was hilarious.

Big Diesel revealed that he was interested in working with Marvel, in particular on the Avengers films, just so that he can kick Robert Downey Jr.’s a**.

“I would love to be in one of the Avengers movies. I would like to kick Robert Downey Jr.’s ass.”

It certainly would be interesting to see Shaq in a Marvel film. His acting skills have improved tremendously since Kazaam, so perhaps if he is given a chance, we could see the four-time NBA Champion on the next Avengers project.

Post Edited By: Pritam Priyedarshi
kyrie irving Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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