Universal’sThe Fall Guyhas been handed the responsibility of kicking off the Hollywood summer this year, and it’s stumbling out of the gate. The moviecouldn’t crack the modest $30 million markin its opening weekend, despite weeks of positive buzz, an all-out marketing campaign featuring starsRyan GoslingandEmily Blunt, and encouraging reviews. Directed byDavid Leitch, the action-comedy not only fell short of last year’s summer starterGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3by a wide margin but also the filmmaker’s ownBullet Train, which grossed $30 million in its first weekend a couple of years ago.
The Fall Guygenerated$28 million in its first three days of release, against areported budget of between $130 million and $150 million. Marketing estimates combined, Universal appears to have spent over $200 million on the project, meaning that going by the rule of thumb,The Fall Guyneeds to deliver at least twice that amount. ButBullet Trainconcluded its domestic run with a hair over $100 million, as did the similarly pitchedThe Lost City, which also generated more in its opening weekend thanThe Fall Guy. BesidesBarbie, which debuted with over $160 million last year, this is about as high as Gosling has gone when it comes to opening weekend hauls.Blade Runner 2049also under-performed with $32 million, as did Blunt’sEdge of Tomorrow, which grossed $28 million in its opening weekend.
Reviews and audience response are the silver lining.The Fall Guysits at a “fresh” 83% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes. It also earned an A- CinemaScore from opening day crowds and has an 87% audience approval rating on RT.In her review, Collider’sPerri NemiroffdescribedThe Fall Guyas a moviemaking lover’s “dream come true,” and highlighted the action set pieces, the cinematography, and the editing. Leitch, who got his start as a stunt coordinator, has helmed major blockbusters such asDeadpool 2andHobbs & Shawsince he turned director.The Fall Guyis his homage to the below-the-line professionals whose work often goes unappreciated in Hollywood.
The 2024 Summer Movie Season Is Off to a Slow Start
Debuting in second position is yet another re-release,Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Celebrating its 25th anniversary,The Phantom Menacegenerated over $8 million this weekend, which puts it way ahead of recent re-releases such asAlien,The Mummy, andShrek 2. In fact, it’s thesecond-best re-release haul of the last decade, between twoJames Cameronblockbusters —Avatar($10 million in 2022), andTitanic($6.7 million in 2023).
Slipping to number three after topping the box office in its first weekend, Amazon MGM’sChallengersadded a little under $8 million in its second weekend, representing a soft 49% decline. Interestingly, theZendaya-starrer appears to be drawing the younger women demographic away fromThe Fall Guy.Challengershas nowgrossed approximately $30 million in 10 days, after having already emerged as directorLuca Guadagnino’s biggest-ever movieat the domestic box office last week.
The fourth and fifth positions were claimed by Sony’s debutanteTarotand Warner Bros.’ holdover hitGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Another in a string of horror misfires this year, followingThe First OmenandAbigail,Tarotgenerated an estimated $6.5 million in its first weekend, whileGodzilla x Kongadded a little over $4 million in its sixth weekend, taking its running haul to just under $190 million. The monster mashup movie should be able to overtake the 2014Godzilla’s lifetime haul of $200 million to become theMonsterVerse’s biggest domestic hit. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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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