The summer crate isn't exactly starting with a bang. Universal's action-romance “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stuntman who hooks up with an up-and-coming director played by Emily Blunt, earned $10.4 million from 4,002 locations on its opening day, a figure that includes $3 million and change from previews. The feature is now projecting a three-day opening of $28 million, which would leave it short of industry forecasts that had predicted a debut in the mid-30s.
It's not a great result for Universal, which has failed to get much traction from Gosling's hot media presence after “Barbie” and a slew of rave reviews for the action film from a raucous March premiere at the SXSW Festival. With a production budget of $130 million, the David Leitch-directed film doesn't carry the heavy financial expectations of summer's biggest blockbusters, but it still has a significant number to recoup. Although Fall Guy is Leitch's most expensive project aside from his Fast & Furious spin-off, it will struggle to match the $30 million domestic opening of his latest effort, the vehicle Brad Pitt “Bullet Train”. And this Sony release cost $40 million less to make.
“The Fall Guy” is also facing some inflated expectations by launching on the first weekend of May: a calendar slot that's typically been reserved for marquee bigs in recent years, particularly from Marvel Studios. Two years ago, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened to $187 million; last year, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” reached $118 million. “Deadpool & Wolverine” was originally set to open this weekend, but was delayed after production was halted during last year's strikes.
Universal was quick to move “The Fall Guy” to the vacant slot, a maneuver calculated to position the title as a summer blockbuster. A sub-$30 million opening wouldn't exactly deliver on that mark. There's still a path to profitability for “The Fall Guy” if the film holds strong. Reviews are good and early ticket buyers are loving it, too, for an “A-” grade from audience polling firm Cinema Score. But for the North American theater industry, which is already nearly 20% behind in revenue from last year, it's not an auspicious start to what is supposed to be the busiest exhibitor season.
Based on the 1980s TV series of the same name, The Fall Guy stars Gosling as a stuntman who helps the director and his previous film, played by Blunt, investigate a conspiracy involving the disappearance of a the movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The cast also includes Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu and Teresa Palmer.
Also opening this weekend, Sony is releasing the horror game “Tarot” in 3,104 countries. The Screen Gems film grossed $2.5 million during Friday and previews and is looking at a fourth-place finish. With a PG-13 rating and an $8 million production budget, “Tarot” is scoring well with younger audiences, even with terrible reviews and a “C-” grade on Cinema Score.
And America still loves Gungans and droids, with Disney's 25th anniversary re-release of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” claiming third place for the weekend after earning $2.4 million on Friday from 2,700 locations. Today is Star Wars Day by the way, so may the fourth be with you. The prequel is surpassing the re-release of “Return of the Jedi” a year ago, which earned $4.6 million in its first three-day frame.
In second place, Amazon MGM's “The Challengers” is seeing a strong run in its second outing. The love triangle tennis drama saw $2.5 million on Friday, down 59% from its opening day. The Zendaya film is likely to cross a total of $30 million by Sunday.
And fifth place has to go to Legendary Entertainment's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is still going into its sixth weekend of release. The Warner Bros. release is looking for another $4.2 million for the frame, bringing its domestic total to an impressive $187 million. It will likely finish above Universal's “Kung Fu Panda 4” to become the second-biggest North American release of the year.
