The summer box office isn’t exactly off to a flying start. Universal’s action romance “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stuntman courting an up-and-coming female director played by Emily Blunt, grossed $10.4 million from 4,002 locations today of its premiere, a figure that includes $3 million and variation from preview projections. The feature now projects a three-day opening of $28 million, which would leave it short of industry projections that called for a debut in the 30s.
That’s not a good result for Universal, which failed to achieve much success thanks to Gosling’s red-hot media presence after “Barbie” and a slew of rave reviews for the action flick during an animated premiere in March at the SXSW Festival. With a production budget of $130 million, the David Leitch-directed feature falls short of the hefty financial expectations of summer’s biggest mainstays, but it still has a substantial amount left to recoup. Although “Fall Guy” is Leitch’s most expensive project aside from his “Fast & Furious” spinoff, he will struggle to match the $30 million domestic opening of his last project, the Brad vehicle Pitt “Bullet Train”. And this Sony version cost $40 million less.
“The Fall Guy” also faces inflated expectations by releasing on the first weekend in May: a calendar slot that has typically been reserved for the biggest tentpoles in recent years, particularly those at Marvel Studios. Two years ago, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” opened to $187 million; last year, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3″ took in $118 million. “Deadpool & Wolverine” was originally scheduled for this weekend, but was delayed after production was stalled during last year’s strikes.
Universal was quick to move “The Fall Guy” into the vacant slot, a move calculated to make the title a summer blockbuster. An opening under $30 million wouldn’t exactly live up to that branding. There’s still a path to profitability for “The Fall Guy” if the film holds up. Reviews are good and early ticket buyers like it too, according to an “A-” grade from audience research company Cinema Score. But for the North American theater industry, whose revenues are already lagging nearly 20 percent behind last year, this is not an auspicious kickoff to what is supposed to be the busiest season for operators.
Based on the ’80s TV series of the same name, “The Fall Guy” stars Gosling as a stuntman who helps his director and his previous fling, played by Blunt, investigate a plot involving the disappearance of a movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The cast also includes Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu and Teresa Palmer.
Sony is also opening the horror game “Tarot” in 3,104 locations this weekend. Screen Gems movie grossed $2.5 million during Friday screenings and previews and is aiming for fourth place. With a PG-13 rating and an $8 million production budget, “Tarot” performs well with young 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” aiming for a third place finish for the weekend after earning 2.4 million dollars Friday at 2,700 locations. By the way, today is “Star Wars” day, so may the fourth be with you. The prequel surpasses the re-release of “Return of the Jedi” a year ago, which grossed $4.6 million in its first three-day period.
In second place, Amazon MGM’s “Challengers” is enjoying a strong hold in its second release. The tennis love triangle drama grossed $2.5 million on Friday, down 59% from its first day. The Zendaya film will likely surpass a $30 million domestic total through Sunday.
And fifth place should go to Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which is still in its sixth weekend of release. The Warner Bros. version. is considering 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 highest-grossing North American release of the year.
