‘The Fall Guy’ Opens To $28.5M, Giving Hollywood a Muted Summer Start

(CTN News) – Studio estimates show “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling, opened below expectations with $28.5 million. It provides a lukewarm start to a summer movie season that’s yet to be determined.

Marvel has consistently dominated the weekend with $100 million-plus launches with its releases from Universal Pictures. In 2023, it was “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3″ that opened to $118 million. However, last year’s strikes jumbled this year’s movie calendar; “Deadpool & Wolverine” will instead open in July.

The summer launch instead went to a movie about the stunt performers who anonymously sacrifice their bodies for blockbuster action sequences. Predictions for the weekend’s opening were $30 million to $40 million.

Director David Leitch, who directed “Deadpool 2” and “The Fall Guy,” rode the momentum of glowing reviews and SXSW buzz into the weekend. A $130 million production budget will require sustained interest. Overseas, it added $25.4 million.

The film’s audience score (an “A-“) and Rotten Tomatoes reviews (83% fresh) will work in its favor over the long run. According to Universal distribution chief Jim Orr,

“The Fall Guy” is on track for a strong launch.

Orr said, “Our opening was very solid.” He added, “We look forward to a very long, very robust, and very successful domestic run.”

However, the modest start for “The Fall Guy” indicates broader concerns for the industry. As superhero films haven’t been as popular as they once were, studios are looking for more innovative alternatives. There was a lot to like about “The Fall Guy,” with its extravagant action sequences, its star, its director, and its very good reviews.

Instead, “The Fall Guy,” loosely based on the 1980s TV series, emphasized that the movie industry will struggle to recapture last year’s “Barbenheimer” fervor. Gosling and Blunt were both nominated for Oscars for their roles in “The Fall Guy.”

It will be an interesting, nontraditional summer, according to Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

The work stoppages of last year have resulted in fewer big movies hitting theaters. Traditionally, the summer box office generated about $4 billion, but this year’s expected to be closer to $3 billion.

Let’s give ‘The Fall Guy’ a chance to build momentum over the summer. “It’s a different kind of summer kickoff film,” Dergarabedian said. Every summer movie season begins with huge expectations, but this isn’t your usual summer movie season.”

“Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” rereleased by Walt Disney Co. collected $8.1 million over the weekend, 25 years after George Lucas’ little-loved prequel grossed $1 billion.

With $7.6 million in its second week, Zendaya tennis drama “Challengers” fell to third place. Luca Guadagnino’s Amazon MGM release sold 49% less than its first weekend.

Sony Screen Gems also released “Tarot,” a supernatural horror film. This is yet another low-budget horror movie that hasn’t performed as well as it has in the past few years, debuting with $6.5 million.

Tickets sold at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday to Sunday, according to Comscore. A final release of domestic data is expected on Monday.

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