Box office: 'The Fall Guy' fails to make a mark
The highly-anticipated Hollywood action spectacle, The Fall Guy, generated considerable hype ahead of its global theatrical release last Friday. Boasting an ensemble cast led by Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, and helmed by the seasoned director David Leitch, the film seemed poised for success. However, despite all the right ingredients, it fell flat, turning out to be a monumental letdown. By the end of its opening weekend, TFG minted less than ₹2.5cr in India.
Why does this story matter?
Despite positive reviews, Gosling's star power, and director Leitch's history of box office hits, TFG only managed to surpass April's top opener, Civil War (A24), by a mere $3M. This lackluster performance has sparked concerns about the viability of non-franchise projects. Particularly those with hefty budgets like TFG, which cost $130M to produce. The underwhelming debut has increased pressure on forthcoming major May releases.
'TFG' crossed over ₹2cr mark in three days
At the Indian box office, TFG saw a slight uptick in collections, raking in ₹99 lakh on Sunday, marking a 7.61% increase from Saturday's earnings of ₹92 lakh. This brings the total domestic earnings to ₹2.41cr, according to Sacnilk. The film maintained a decent English occupancy of 20.12% on Sunday, with evening shows peaking at 26.94%. As the new week begins, the film faces its true test of endurance.
A disappointing Hollywood summer opener
TFG opened the Hollywood summer 2024 box office season with a disappointing $28.5M, marking a significant 52% drop from last year's opening weekend featuring Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Despite high expectations for this action rom-com, it fell short of even the most pessimistic predictions which had forecast an opening of $30M. This high-energy comedy, penned by Drew Pearce, draws influence from a 1980s television series centered around stunt performers.
Upcoming releases face pressure after 'TFG' debacle
Major May releases including Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Furiosa, The Garfield Movie, and IF are now under increased scrutiny. In contrast to its underperformance, Disney's 25th-anniversary reissue of The Phantom Menace secured second place at the box office with $8.1M. Other films in the Top 10 also failed to make a significant impact; MGM Amazon's Challengers saw a 49% drop from its modest $15M debut, while Sony's new horror film Tarot only managed to pull in $6.5M.
