Shaquille O’Neal is a widely popular TV personality, however, his second film Kazaam in 1996 was a major box-office flop.
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Shaquille O’Neal may very well be one of the most successful superstars of the 90s and 2000s. His unbound success at basketball coupled with his natural charisma opened up a lot of avenues for Diesel.
Unlike other stars who take up opportunities after their careers are over, O’Neal turned to acting very early on in his career. His popularity was seen by Hollywood as a certain source of revenue.
In 1994, while Shaq was still with the Orlando Magic, the 7’1″ center appeared in a sports drama film titled Blue Chips.
Only 22, the Lakers legend appeared alongside Penny Hardway in a movie that touched upon illegal payments to college athletes. Back then, the community severely frowned upon this, and the movie held relevance.
However, it failed to perform at the box office and made only $26.7 million worldwide.
O’Neal, though, was unfazed by the failure of his acting debut. And in 1996, he decided to appear in another Hollywood production. This time, it wasn’t a sports drama.
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Shaquille O’Neal faced yet another failure with Kazaam
Shaq came to NBA hungry for victory. Despite his early failures, what kept him going was his determination. The determination that he could win not today or tomorrow but someday soon. To him, failure is merely another step toward success.
So, when Blue Chip failed to make any impact, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t going to stop. So, O’Neal accepted the role of a genie in Kazaam.
A typical genie story mixed with hints of modern advancement, Kazaam was the recreation of an age-old story. Shaq’s role as the genie was iconic.
Although, iconic is not always successful, or good. Kazaam and O’Neal’s role in the film were both cursed from the get-go.
For one, the writing and direction of the movie were terrible. The movie failed to leave any impact on its audience. Coupled with cliche plot lines and abhorrent acting, it was no surprise when the film tanked at the box office.
Kazaam had a budget of $20 million. And despite Shaquille O’Neal playing a lead character, it made only $19 million worldwide.
Shaquille O’Neal received an impressive $7 million for it. He’s continued to make films since and has acted in commercial successes such as Grown Ups, Uncle Drew, and Scary Movie 4.
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