The Fall Guy's New Record Unexpectedly Beats Emily Blunt's $975 Million Hit & I'm Surprised

I’m shocked that The Fall Guy broke Oppenheimer’s all-time streaming record of Peacock. While The Fall Guy certainly deserved to make more of a box office splash when it was released in theaters back in May 2024, the fact that it has surpassed Oppenheimer as the most streamed movie on Peacock in just a few weeks is incredibly impressive. Seeing The Fall Guy find massive streaming success is validating but could also point to the increase in Peacock subscribers following the 2024 Paris Olympics and the kickoff of the NFL season.

Despite its positive critical reception, The Fall Guy underwhelmed at the box office, earning less than $28 million on its opening weekend and a worldwide total of $180 million against a production budget of $125 million. While this is technically considered a box office flop, The Fall Guy is currently in the top 20 highest-grossing movies of 2024 as of the time of writing and outperformed both Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Beekeeper. The Fall Guy also called out the Oscars for its lack of representation of stunt workers and called for an official Stunts category to be implemented at the Academy Awards.

The Fall Guy Beating Oppenheimer’s Streaming Record Is Very Impressive

The Fall Guy can finally make up for its disappointing box office

Oppenheimer was obviously a massive hit in theaters back in summer 2023 and was one of the most talked-about movies of the year, winning Best Picture and six other awards at the 2024 Academy Awards. It was no surprise that Oppenheimer’s success in theaters translated to streaming when the Universal project found its exclusive streaming home on Peacock roughly seven months after its July 21, 2023 release. The Fall Guy was expected to do well on streaming but overperformed by beating Oppenheimer.

Interestingly, The Fall Guy was both Ryan Gosling’s follow-up to Barbie and Emily Blunt’s follow-up to Oppenheimer. Both were nominated for Oscars for their roles in those films although neither walked away with the prize. What’s more, The Fall Guy is a completely different movie from Oppenheimer, being part romantic comedy, part action comedy, and 100% crowd-pleasing fun. If Oppenheimer hadn’t been such a box office hit in 2023, it feasibly could have been a streaming hit due to its lengthy runtime and dense subject matter.

Why The Fall Guy Beating Oppenheimer On Streaming Is So Surprising

Oppenheimer had way more hype and Oscar buzz than The Fall Guy currently does

I find it fascinating that a crowd-pleasing action film is more of a streaming hit than a complex historical biopic. Oppenheimer had more build up and awareness leading up to its theatrical run, giving viewers who missed the opportunity to catch it on the big screen during its extended run in theaters a chance to see it before the Academy Awards.

The Fall Guy didn’t have nearly as much hype for its theatrical run but certainly leaned into the post-Barbenheimer friendly feud between Gosling and Blunt’s massive 2023 projects. 2023 was Oppenheimer’s year but may not have the best replay value as time goes on, while The Fall Guy is a fun and easy watch that can be seen again and again.