20th Century Studios’ newest action comedy, Free Guy debuted this weekend to solid results. The film grossed $28.4M domestically, which easily put it as the number one movie in North America. Overseas, the Ryan Reynolds-led film took in $22.5M from 41 markets for a worldwide opening of $51M. Free Guy doesn’t yet have a release date in China, where it is expected to do quite well.
The film beat out most industry predictions, who had the film grossing $17M-$20M domestically. The solid opening for Free Guy was a much needed welcome for the box office as growing concerns of the Delta variant and a surge in COVID-19 cases. The studio was also keeping their eyes on this weekend as a gauge for Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which opens in theaters in a few weeks.
Disney’s Jungle Cruise is still seeing signs of life despite having a dual release on Disney+. The Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt thrill ride is sitting at third place at the box office in its third weekend. Jungle Cruise finished Sunday with a domestic total of $82.1M and $72.2M overseas for a worldwide total of $154.3M.
Both Free Guy and Jungle Cruise were released in a time where the world is still trying to recover from an ongoing pandemic. That said, both films have had solid numbers and positive word of mouth from critics and audiences alike. Disney also sees this and is confident in both films in building major franchises, Ryan Reynolds revealed yesterday that Disney is ready for Free Guy 2, while Dwayne Johnson stated he has already had meetings for Jungle Cruise 2. The state of moviegoing will get better, and Disney+ continues to see major subscriber growth, which benefits the future of these projects for the better.
Read: Free Guy Review: Ready Player One Meets The Truman Show
In Free Guy, Reynolds plays Guy, a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late.
Free Guy also stars Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Lil Rel Howery (Uncle Drew), Joe Keery (Stranger Things), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Mulan), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Free Guy is directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn and a story by Lieberman. The film is produced by Ryan Reynolds, p.g.a., Shawn Levy, p.g.a., Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, and Adam Kolbrenner with Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, George Dewey, Dan Levine, and Michael Riley McGrath serving as executive producers.
Read: ‘Jungle Cruise’ Review: A Wild Ride That’s Nearly As Good As ‘Pirates’
A rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.
Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, and Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. The producers are John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment; Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions; and Beau Flynn of Flynn Picture Co., with Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield serving as executive producers. The story is by John Norville & Josh Goldstein and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, and the screenplay is by Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa.
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