A still of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in ‘The Fall Guy.’ (Photo courtesy of SXSW/Universal)
The beginning of May often means the start of summer. It’s a time when school lets out and movie fans beat the heat in their favorite theaters watching blockbusters filled with explosions and big stars that produce an even bigger box office.
Consider the last two years for summer releases: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” led to “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022, and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” kicked off a summer of “Barbie,” Oppenheimer,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One” in 2023. Each of these films made over $100 million during their opening weekends and relied on month-to-month engagement from theatergoers.
The first weekend of May 2024 finds Ryan Gosling film “The Fall Guy” as its first major release, grossing $27.7 million in its opening weekend. It’s a disappointing number given the film’s projection of about $30 million and its reported budget of $125 million.
This slow opening isn’t for lack of excitement or positive reviews. “The Fall Guy” earned 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.3/10 on IMDb and an A- on CinemaScore after a strong world premiere at SXSW last month, which featured stunt drivers, a live introduction from Gosling and director David Leitch and a post-film Q&A with cast members. Time will tell if the mediocre opening of “The Fall Guy” is a sign of a slow summer.
In a surprising entry, the No. 2 spot found the re-release of George Lucas’ 1999 prequel “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” The film hit theaters in honor of its 25th anniversary, as well as May the 4th, and grossed $8.7 million over the weekend.
“The Phantom Menace” is the most successful of recent anniversary re-releases, including “Alien,” “The Mummy” and “Shrek 2.”
In a drop from the No. 1 spot last week, “Challengers” came in at No. 3 with a $7.6 million second weekend. The film currently has a total domestic gross of $31.5 million and has found success worldwide with a $23 million international gross.
“Tarot,” a new horror release, grossed $6.5 million in its opening weekend to hold the No. 4 spot while “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” grossed another $4.5 million to bring its worldwide gross to nearly $550 million.
What films did you see in theaters this weekend? For more film news, keep reading SZNSMAG.com.
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