Fall Guy Box Office Opens Below Expectations (Yet Still Among Best Starts For Ryan Gosling Movies)

The Fall Guy has turned out a disappointing opening weekend at the box office despite comparing well to other titles starring Ryan Gosling. The movie, which is loosely based on the 1980s television show of the same name, features Gosling as Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt performer who gets mixed up in a real-life adventure when the action star he’s doubling, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), goes missing. The ensemble cast of the movie, which was directed by Bullet Train‘s David Leitch, also includes Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke.

Per Deadline, the Fall Guy box office is projected to close out its opening weekend with a 3-day total of $28.5 million. This is somewhat deflated from the original expectations of a $30 million debut, which was already somewhat low compared to the movie’s production budget, which is estimated to be somewhere between $125 and $150 million. However, it still ranks among the best box office openings ever for a movie starring Ryan Gosling.

How The Fall Guy Compares To Other Ryan Gosling Movies

The Fall Guy Earned His Third Best Opening

Although Gosling is a well-respected actor with two Oscar nominations under his belt, this disappointing debut result for the Fall Guy release is nevertheless a standout among his other titles. The only two opening weekends that it has grossed less than are Blade Runner 2049, which opened with $32.7 million, and Barbie, which had a record-breaking $162 million opening on the way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2023, propelled partly by the viral Barbenheimer phenomenon. Below, see a breakdown of every Ryan Gosling movie that opened above $10 million:

The only Gosling movies with higher grosses than The Nice Guys that aren’t on the chart are La La Land ($433.8 million) and The Big Short ($132.6 million), which both opened in limited release before expanding. If The Fall Guy follows the lead of the other wide-release movies below Blade Runner, it could very well still balloon to a worldwide total between $150 and $250 million despite this lukewarm start. However, that total would probably mean it won’t turn a profit in theaters, as its high budget likely means that its break-even point is somewhere between $250 and $300 million.

There is still hope for the movie, however. The Fall Guy reviews are strong, earning the movie a Certified Fresh score of 83%. As viewers seem to agree with critics, giving the movie an 87% audience score, it could become a word-of-mouth hit that shows strong week-over-week holds as the summer movie season begins to heat up. It remains to be seen how the movie performs by the end of its run, but the fact that it has landed among Gosling’s Top 3 openings could still be a good sign.

Source: Deadline

The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy is an action thriller from Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman who is forced to find a missing movie star, investigate a conspiracy, and repair his relationship with the love of his life. The film was written by Drew Pearce and inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name.

Director

David Leitch

Release Date

May 3, 2024

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures , Entertainment 360 , 87North Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Writers

Drew Pearce