Stunt it! ‘The Fall Guy’ defeats ‘Phantom Menace’ to win the weekend
Ryan Gosling’s ode to stunt work easily takes the No. 1 spot over an ‘Episode I’ anniversary re-release.
Hello! Welcome to The Box Office Report for the weekend of May 3-5, 2024.
1. The Fall Guy
Weekend gross: $28.5M
Total domestic gross: $28.5M
Last weekend: New release
Percent drop: NA
I had fully planned on seeing The Fall Guy on Thursday night, but a lingering positive Covid test didn’t make me feel good about having to sit in a theater while wearing a mask for a few hours. Enough people did go to the movies to see Ryan Gosling’s latest this weekend, powering the ode to stunt work to No. 1.
The Fall Guy’s $28.5 million debut is closely in line with director David Leitch’s last film. Bullet Train opened with a $30 million first weekend in 2022. His franchise work has performed better, with Deadpool 2 and Hobbs & Shaw premiering with $127.5 million and $60 million, respectively. For a moment a few months ago, it looked like we were going to see what Leitch could do with the Jurassic World franchise, but he wound up passing on that gig.
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2. Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace
Weekend gross: $8.1M
Total domestic gross: $482.6M
Last weekend: Re-release
Percent drop: NA
It is May 1999. Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace opens in theaters. It is May 2024. Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace opens in theaters. (Sorry, I’m mixing my Star Wars with my Watchmen here.)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Episode I, Lucasfilm sent the film back to theaters this weekend. While it didn’t match its original $64.8 million weekend (in addition to the $40.9 million it already already grossed over a Wednesday/Thursday opening), The Phantom Menace still felt some box office love this weekend.
