Directed by David Leitch and headlined by Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Fall Guy is a reboot of the 1980s TV series of the same name. Following a stuntman who gets embroiled in a conspiracy during the production of his ex-girlfriend’s action movie, the film has earned praise for its daring stunts and action sequences.
After narrowly crossing the $100 million global mark earlier this month, the movie tacked on nearly $10 million over the Memorial Day weekend. Its current worldwide total stands at approximately $143 million, putting the $150 million threshold tantalizingly within reach.
However, these numbers represent a disappointing commercial run for a film of The Fall Guy’s pedigree and budget. Despite the considerable star power of Gosling and Blunt, each coming off recent Oscar-nominated performances, the movie has struggled to find solid traction at the box office.
Industry analysts point to a few potential factors hampering the film’s theatrical legs. Its recent digital release on platforms like iTunes and Amazon likely siphoned away a segment of viewers opting to watch from home. There are also questions about whether the movie’s attempt to blend action and romantic comedy struck the right tonal balance to satisfy fans of either genre.
“The Fall Guy is a prime example of how difficult it can be to nail that high-concept formula of blending disparate genres seamlessly,” noted Caroline Hwang, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “It seems to have gotten lost in the middle without fully appealing to either the date night crowd or pure action junkies.”
Still, the film’s respectable critical reception and impressive stunt work could position it for a longer tail on digital platforms. And in today’s increasingly streaming-focused landscape, that digital performance may ultimately prove as vital to its commercial prospects as the theatrical numbers.
“Even if it falls short of box office expectations, a movie like The Fall Guy can still find an audience and potential franchise legs through strong digital viewership,” said Hwang. “But first, it needs to cross that $150 million mark globally to avoid being considered an outright flop.”
With a few overseas markets still to open, the David Leitch-directed action caper appears poised to squeak past that make-or-break symbolic threshold. Whether it can parlay that into enough momentum for a sequel, however, may rely entirely on how viewers respond now that it has hit streaming.
