NEW YORK (AP) — “The Fall Guy,” the comedy-action film about stuntmen who replace actors to perform dangerous stunts in Hollywood, opened this weekend, disappointing expectations, raise $28.5 million, according to industry estimates released Sunday.
The Universal Pictures film, starring Ryan Gosling, opened in a weekend traditionally dominated by openings of more than 100 million (In 2023, it was “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” grossing 118 million).
But last year’s strikes disrupted this year’s film calendar; “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which was set to premiere this weekend, will be released in July.
“Profession Danger” was expected to gross between $30 million and $40 million.
“The Fall Guy”, directed by David Leitch, premiered after receiving good reviews and after being successful at the SXSW festival. But it will need a lot of viewers to justify its $130 million budget. It raised another 25.4 million abroad.
It has in its favor a good reaction from viewers (an “A-” in CinemaScore) and good critics (83% in Rotten Tomatoes).
But the disappointing results of “The Fall Guy” could bode poorly for the film industry. Superhero movies no longer attract as many people, so studios are looking for other alternatives. “The Fall Guy” seemed to fit the bill, with outrageous action scenes, a popular actor, a director known for hit films and good reviews.
But instead, the disappointing premiere of “Profession Danger” only indicates that the film industry will have a hard time repeating the success of “Barbenheimer” last summer.
Partly because of last year’s strikes, there are fewer movies coming out this year. It is estimated that the total from all box office receipts will reach three billion dollars, instead of the usual four billion.
As a surprise, the second highest-grossing movie this weekend was the repeat release of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” the first episode of the prequels made by George Lucas. It grossed $8.1 million, 25 years after “Phantom Menace” grossed $1 billion.
Last week’s top-grossing film, the tennis drama “Challengers,” moved into third place with $7.6 million in its second week, a 49% drop from its first weekend.
The horror movie Tarot” opened with $6.5 million, decent for a low-budget movie, but another example of how the horror genre isn’t what it once was.
Estimated top ten grossing movies in the United States and Canada this weekend, Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. The final figures come out on Monday.
“The Fall Guy” – $28.5 millones.
“Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” – $8.1 millones.
“Challengers” – $7.6 million.
“Tarot” – $6.5 million.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” – $4.5 millones.
