Despite projections of at least $30 million, “The Fall Guy” crash-landed at the box office with a $28.5 million debut. This is decent territory for original action comedies, even with Ryan Gosling in the lead. Interestingly, Gosling appears to be the bigger draw for audiences (50% went for him vs. 35% for Emily Blunt).
While this is a solid opening for Gosling (excluding the anomaly of “Barbie”-$162M), it’s not setting any records for Blunt. “The Fall Guy” becomes her ninth-best opening domestically, trailing films like “Edge of Tomorrow” ($28.7M) and “Jungle Cruise” ($35M).
“The Fall Guy” Stumbles Despite Strong Reviews: Box Office Mystery
“The Fall Guy” had a decent opening weekend, but it’s not quite the hit some expected. Even though audiences seemed to enjoy it (A- CinemaScore and 90% positive reviews), ticket sales weren’t as strong as hoped.
There could be a couple of reasons. First, moviegoers might be waiting for more summer blockbusters like “Inside Out 2” before hitting the theaters in droves.
Another factor could be the sluggish overall box office performance this weekend. Domestic movie ticket sales reached only around $73 million, a significant 55% drop compared to the same period last year when “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” launched the summer season with a mighty $118.4 million debut.
According to a recent tweet by ERCboxoffice ERCboxoffice:
TOP 5 DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE
1. THE FALL GUY ($28.5M)
2. STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE ($8M)
3. CHALLENGERS ($7.6M)
4. TAROT ($6.5M)
5. GxK ($4.5M)The summer season is still in deep freeze–down 53% versus last year. APES will be looking to flip that narrative next weekend.
— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) May 5, 2024
“The Fall Guy” debuted with a $28.5 million domestic box office haul. While this positions the film within the typical range for original action comedies, it falls short of expectations considering its A- CinemaScore and positive audience reception.
“The Fall Guy”: Fun But Not Urgent
Even though audiences loved “The Fall Guy,” it doesn’t seem like a movie everyone has to see right away. The marketing focused on the fun and romance, but some people think it’s a bit too Hollywood-insider-y.
Even though the studio and filmmakers tried to make it appealing to a wide audience, it might not be the kind of movie that gets young people excited to rush out and see it.
“The Fall Guy’s” High Price Tag Raises Questions
The biggest criticism of “The Fall Guy” seems to be its hefty price tag. With a budget between $130 million and $150 million, some industry critics believe it’s simply too expensive for an original film.
Comparisons are drawn to producer Tom Rothman’s strategy of decreasing production costs. The argument is that “The Fall Guy” could have been made for around $80 million, saving Universal significant money.
Total costs, including marketing, are estimated to be between $220 million and $230 million. Bringing the production budget down to $160 million to $180 million could have made a big difference financially.
Another factor is the recognition of the “Fall Guy” brand itself. Some believe younger audiences might not be familiar with the original TV show.
However, the argument is that successful franchises have been built on reviving older properties, citing “Mission: Impossible” with Tom Cruise as an example. Many younger viewers might not have watched the original “Mission: Impossible” series that ran in the late 1960s, but the revived film franchise has been a huge success.
Is “The Fall Guy” Confusing Audiences?
Some critics suggest another reason for “The Fall Guy’s” underwhelming performance: it might be a little hard to explain the plot to friends after seeing it. One source even said it took them several paragraphs to describe the movie to someone else.
It’s important to note that the trailers seemed to do a good job of simplifying the plot. Additionally, despite the confusion, audience reception upon exiting theaters appears to be positive (“great exits”).
However, positive word-of-mouth isn’t translating into strong ticket sales. Unfortunately, for now, audiences aren’t rushing out to see “The Fall Guy.”
