Universal’s latest release,The Fall Guy, an action-comedy starringRyan GoslingandEmily Blunt,kicked off the summer movie season with a subdued opening in North America, falling short of expectations. The film, directed byDavid Leitch, garnered $28.5 million from 4,002 venues across the region, missing the projected $30 million to $40 million mark. Despite the stellar casting and high production values with a reported budget of $140 million,The Fall Guyneeds a robust international showing and sustained domestic interest to recoup its hefty investment.
Globally,The Fall Guymanaged to pull in $25.4 million overseas during its debut weekend, bringing its worldwide total to $65.4 million.David A. Grossfrom Franchise Entertainment Research commented on the opening, stating, “This is a fair opening for a big action comedy.Action comedies are solid performers overseas, and with this cast, foreign business should be good. At [its] cost,The Fall Guyis going to need a long run.”
The film’s international performance shows promise, with strong openings in several key markets. In the UK and Ireland, the movie debuted at the top spot with $4.4 million. Similarly, it opened strongly in Mexico and France with $2.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively. Other markets like Germany, Italy, and Korea also reported solid openings, indicative of the film’s potential to perform well outside the U.S.
The Fall Guysees Gosling portraying a former stuntmanembarking on an adventure to locate a missing movie star in an effort to salvage a major studio movie, directed by his ex-girlfriend, played by Blunt. The premise has found favor with audiences and critics alike, receiving an “A-” CinemaScore and a commendable 83% onRotten Tomatoes.Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, remains optimistic about the film’s prospects: “We are incredibly proud of this film. It’s an exciting, charming film that I have no doubt will have a robust run.”
Their confidence is bolstered byLeitch’s previous success with theBrad Pitt-ledBullet Train, which also started slowly at the box office but eventually grossed $130 million domestically and $239 million globally.
Can Any Movies Fill the Marvel Gap?
The opening ofThe Fall Guymarks a significant shift from previous years when Marvel titles traditionally launched the summer movie season. This year’s absence of a blockbuster Marvel release has made direct comparisons to previous years challenging.Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore, reflects on this change, “For over a decade and a half, a Marvel movie provided the spark to ignite the summer movie season. This year, without such a blockbuster title, apples-to-apples comparisons to the same weekend a year ago are rendered moot.”
As the domestic box office shows a more than 20% decline from 2023 and a 40% drop from 2019, the industry looks to upcoming releases likeDeadpool & Wolverine,Despicable Me 4,andInside Out 2to rejuvenate theater attendance. With these potential blockbusters on the horizon, exhibitors are hopeful for a recovery in cinema-going during the crucial summer months.
You can catchThe Fall Guyin theaters now, grab your tickets below.
The Fall Guy
Colt Seavers is a stuntman who left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health. He’s drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie, which is being directed by his ex, goes missing.
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