Fantasy Island hasn't done much to promote Michael Rooker's role, but he's in it. The movie also gave him a career "worst" that he actually loved -- and no I don't mean Fantasy Island's low Rotten Tomatoes score, since it's actually not even his lowest. No, when Rooker was asked about his favorite part about filming the movie in Fiji, he had quite a surprising response, mentioning a "worst" for any movie role so far:
The wardrobe. I probably have the worst wardrobe of any movie that I have ever done. It was so ugly. I was like -- it was beautiful. It was beautiful. I really, really, truly enjoyed my ugly wardrobe. It was the greatest.
Ugly Fiji attire is the new ugly Christmas sweater! Michael Rooker is featured in Fantasy Island's international trailer for a second, and the photo above gives you a taste of that ugly wardrobe he talked about with TooFab.
Is that really worse than Michael Rooker's dirty wardrobe as Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead? That's not a movie, but still. Or as Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy? Actually, Yondu's wardrobe was pretty cool -- and his hair and makeup were amazing. He's Mary Poppins, y'all.
Fantasy Island's marketing has mostly focused on Michael Peña as Mr. Roarke, along with the main characters played by Lucy Hale, Maggie Q, Austin Stowell, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang, and Ryan Hansen.
Blumhouse's Fantasy Island follows a group of strangers who visit a luxurious resort only to have their deepest desires turn into nightmares. The 2020 movie is based on the '70s TV show, and star Lucy Hale told Fox News what fans of the original show could take away from the film:
It's still about the bones of what made the TV show so, so fun to watch. We just have given it a slightly scarier, edgier feel. You know, it's a 2020 modern twist on it.
Sadly, the scariest thing about Fantasy Island might be the reactions to it. Critics have not been kind, including here at CinemaBlend. So far, the movie has a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Michael Rooker's 2009 movie Super Capers is still lower with 6%), with an audience score at 49%. Fantasy Island's CinemaScore is C-, which is not good but also not the "D" that Downhill got. Fantasy Island currently has a 4.7/10 rating on IMDb from 1,189 users.
So it's not exactly a hit, but horror movies often become cult classics over time. When Fantasy Island gets a home release, it may find its niche. As for its opening weekend, it's expected to take third behind Sonic the Hedgehog -- which is having a huge four-day holiday weekend -- and the newly retitled Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. Fantasy Island is expected to make about $14.6 million across the four-day opening, according to Deadline.
Whatever happens from here, at least Michael Rooker got a trip to Fiji that gave him the best/worst wardrobe of his career to date. Then again, Rooker is also part of Guardians director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and his look in that movie may be the best/worst yet. We shall see.
