Topline
Ryan Goslingâs return to the big screen after last summerâs blockbuster âBarbieâ has so far been a box office disappointment despite rave reviews, pulling in $10.4 million domestically on its opening day on its way to a projected $28 million opening weekend, a long way to go before breaking even.
Universal Picturesâ action romance âThe Fall Guyâ is projected to gross $28 million in its opening … [+]
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Key Facts
âThe Fall Guy,â produced by Universal Pictures and directed by David Leitch, grossed $3 million in Thursday previews across over 4,000 theaters, included in its $10.4 million opening day figure, multiple outlets reported.
Analysts had projected the stuntman thriller starring Gosling alongside Emily Blunt and Hannah Waddinghamâwith a return by original âThe Fall Guyâ star Lee Majorsâto pull in $40 million over the weekend, with Universal executives reportedly hoping to cash in on the so-called Gosling factor.
If the $28 million opening weekend figure holds up, âThe Fall Guyâ would still need to gross over $100 million more to catch its reported $130 million production budget, just below Barbieâs reported $145 million budget.
The slow start at the domestic box office puts âThe Fall Guyâ behind a spate of Universal flops, including âArgyle,â which made $17.4 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. in February, as well as Januaryâs âNight Swim,â which posted a $11.8 million opening weekend.
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Contra
Universalâs latest releases have not all been blunders. Last month, the fourth installment of the âKung Fu Pandaâ franchise with DreamWorks grossed nearly $58 million in its opening weekend, according to data from Box Office Mojo. Christopher Nolanâs Academy Award-winning âOppenheimerâ starring Cillian Murphy pulled in $82.4 million in its opening weekend last July.
Tangent
Despite its slow start, âThe Fall Guyâ has been met with generally positive reviews, with an 83% criticsâ rating and an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 73/100 criticsâ rating on MetaCritic. In its review of the 1980s TV action remake, The New York Times lauded Goslingâs performance, saying he âcharms as a swaggeringâ stuntman, with a charm that âjust keeps going as he runs and leaps, tumbles and punches and vaults through the air like a rocket,â while lamenting an âunderusedâ Blunt. People praised the action romance, saying it âsucceeds,â with a âfunny, heroic and unexpectedly touchingâ performance from Gosling.
Further Reading