In the heart of New York, “The Fall Guy,” starring heartthrob Ryan Gosling, kicked off the summer movie season with a bang. But this action-comedy tribute to the brave stunt performers of Hollywood started off slower than expected, earning a solid but lukewarm $28.5 million in its first weekend according to studio estimates.
This anticipated Universal Pictures release made its debut in a weekend notorious for Marvel’s domination of the box office with $100 million-plus launches. Notably, it was the 2023 release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” that notched a staggering $118 million in its opening. However, last year’s strikes left an undeniable impact on Hollywood’s movie calendar, pushing the opening of “Deadpool & Wolverine” from this weekend to a later date in July.
Hence, this year’s summer kickoff was handed to “The Fall Guy,” a film that pays tribute to the often unappreciated stunt performers who risk life and limb to create those thrilling action sequences so integral to blockbuster cinema. Expectations for the film were initially pegged between $30 million to $40 million.
“The Fall Guy,” directed by veteran stuntman and acclaimed director of “Deadpool 2,” David Leitch, exploded into the weekend brimming with the positive energy of rave reviews and the buzz of an SXSW premiere. While the buzz has started, sustaining it is crucial to offset its substantial $130 million production budget. The film generated an additional $25.4 million in overseas markets.
Bolstering its chances of an extended run are enthusiastic audience responses (scoring an enviable “A-” CinemaScore) coupled with favorable reviews (an 83% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal, remains sanguine about the future prospects of “The Fall Guy,” envisioning multiple successful runs at the box office in the forthcoming weeks. “We’re looking forward to a very long, very robust, very successful run,” said Orr.
However, “The Fall Guy” medium start throws light on larger industry problems. Superhero films have not been performing as strongly in the box office, pushing studios to find newer, more exciting content. Boasting extravagant action sequences, a popular star, a crowd-pleasing director, and great reviews, “The Fall Guy” seemed to fill this gap. Yet the film, rooted in the 1980s TV series, demonstrated just how much the industry struggles to recalibrate and enchant audiences in this post-“Barbenheimer” summer.
With Hollywood’s calendar disrupted due to last year’s labor strikes, count on seeing fewer big films arrive in theaters this summer. Projections hint the summer box office will pull in closer to $3 billion instead of the usual $4 billion. “The summer season is just getting started, so let’s give ‘The Fall Guy’ a chance to build that momentum over time,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
In an unanticipated twist, the number 2 spot at the box office went to Walt Disney Co.’s re-release of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Twenty-five years after its original release, this divisive prequel to George Lucas’ beloved Star Wars saga netted $8.1 million in its first weekend.
Finally, last week’s box office champion, the Zendaya-led tennis drama “Challengers,” gracefully fell to third place, earning $7.6 million in its second week. Despite the drop, this Amazon-MGM product, directed by Luca Guadagnino, held its ground and showed potential for a strong run. Other noticeable performers this weekend were Sony Screen Gems’ supernatural horror film “Tarot,” starting with $6.5 million, and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” rounding off the top five with $4.5 million.
