The Fall Guy had hopes of being a major box office success in the 2024 summer season, but the latest update for Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s movie is more bad news. Universal Pictures brought the action blockbuster with a $130 million budget to theaters in early May 2024 after plenty of anticipation, acclaim, and clever marketing. The added bonus of having two Barbenheimer stars headlining was only thought to be another point in The Fall Guy‘s favor of becoming one of 2024’s big box office hits.
Expectations began to change after the opening weekend numbers were lower than projected, as The Fall Guy‘s box office opened to only $27.7 million domestically. This was below projections between $30-$40 million, with there also being hope it would go higher based on the great reviews. Word of mouth from audiences has not helped much either, as the film has only managed to make $127 million worldwide after over two weeks in theaters. Now, Universal’s announcement that The Fall Guy is now available digitally makes the film’s box office prospects look even worse.
The Fall Guy’s Quick Digital Release Is Bad News For Its Box Office Future
The Fall Guy Released On Digital Only 18 Days After Its Premierem
Universal’s decision to give The Fall Guy a digital release so quickly after the film’s theatrical debut is devastating for any hope of the box office performance improving. The studio has now given audiences an alternative option for where to watch The Fall Guy that’s not in theaters. Interested parties now have the opportunity to buy or rent the movie on most major PVOD platforms and watch the film from the comfort of their own home. Considering the cost to watch The Fall Guy digitally could be cheaper or on par with ticket prices, PVOD becomes a more convenient option.
This is bad news for The Fall Guy‘s box office because audiences no longer have to go to a theater to see the movie right now. There are plenty of reasons why someone who wanted to see the film might not have gone to theaters yet. Those who desire to see The Fall Guy‘s stunts on the biggest screen possible can still do so, but anyone who has a more casual interest does not have to. Since Universal has already seen the film suffer sizable drops and lose theaters (including IMAX), the outlook for the box office improving gets worse.
