The Fall Guy box office opening falls short of expectations 

The Fall Guy's initial box office results are disheartening. The film, produced by Universal and directed by David Leitch, debuted at $28.5 million in North American theaters, falling just short of projections. Going into the weekend, The Fall Guy was expected to gross between $30 million and $40 million.

Of concern is the fact that the film's production budget was $140 million. As a result, it will need a substantial following and interest at the global box office to recoup its costs during its theatrical run. Currently, The Fall Guy has grossed $25.4 million internationally, bringing its worldwide tally to $65.4 million, as reported by Variety.

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Ryan Gosling’s The Fall Guy takes a dip at box office

Despite taking a dip at the box office, the action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt has not dampened Gosling's optimism for another installment.

In a recent interview with FastCompany, he stated his hope that the audience's strong reaction will make it possible for them to carry on developing these characters and their tales:

"We’re just hoping that people like this movie enough that we get to keep telling the story of these characters. We love them so much, and we love this world."

Blunt was last seen on the big screen in last year's Oppenheimer. (Image via Universal)

Since its announcement at SXSW, The Fall Guy has been one of the most awaited movies of 2024's early summer season. This is primarily due to the film's numerous appealing elements, such as a superb ensemble and novel themes that appeal to audiences worldwide, such as action, romance, and comedy.

David A. Gross of the film consultancy firm Franchise Entertainment Research offered insights to Varitey regarding the film's opening:

"This is a fair opening for a big action-comedy. Action comedies are solid performers overseas, and with this cast, foreign business should be good. At [its] cost, ‘The Fall Guy’ is going to need a long run."

There are several factors contributing to the underwhelming first weekend sales of the action movie. One key aspect is that its connection to the 1980s TV series of the same name was not quite well known among viewers.

Moreover, The Fall Guy wasn't the most watched TV program, so its tie to The Fall Guy in 2024 wasn't anticipated to have the same significant impact on box office results as a more significant franchise tie would.

During its opening weekend, the film failed to contend with several other big-budget releases. Notably, it lost a considerable portion of its target audience to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Disney's re-release of the film to commemorate its 25th anniversary surprised many by grossing $8.1 million.

Additionally, Ryan Gosling disclosed that a screenplay for a possible sequel has already been written. As mentioned earlier, he revealed that he is optimistic concerning a sequel:

The follow-up practically wrote itself. We already know [the plot] very well," he said to Fast Company, before continuing, "I'm sure we can pull it off." He acknowledged, stating "Oh yeah," when inquired whether they already had a screenplay for a sequel.

Meanwhile, other movies such as Challengers starring Zendaya, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and A24's Civil War all had great openings. The indie film house's newest movie, Civil War, increased its overall opening in North America to $62 million, with an additional $3.5 million on its fourth outing.

Despite its underwhelming box office performance, The Fall Guy has received positive reviews, boasting an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, Ryan Gosling plays a washed-out stuntman who sets out to find a missing movie star, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, to save a major studio production that his ex-girlfriend, Emily Blunt's character, is directing.