The Ryan Reynolds-starring sci-fi action-comedy Free Guy debuted at the top of the North American box office charts this weekend with $26 million.
The $100 million film, from the brainchild of Matt Lieberman and directed by Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things“), has earned an additional $22.5 million internationally in the last three days, bringing its total global take to $51 million. The performance is notable because the production was released exclusively in cinemas.
“Free Guy“, which is being distributed exclusively in cinemas in the pandemic era, could be a test for the film industry, where the pandemic cuts have made it commonplace to distribute new productions in hybrid theatres and streaming, Variety.com‘s analysis said.
Other “Free Guy” stars include Jodie Comer and Taika Waititi. The film had a 59 percent male audience on its opening weekend, with 80 percent of viewers over the age of 18.
Reynolds plays a bank employee in the background of a video game who, realizing he is part of a virtual world, takes his fate into his own hands. He revealed on Twitter after the encouraging opening weekend box office that the film’s producer Disney had already approached him about a possible sequel.
At the box office, the horror “Don’t Breathe 2” debuted with $10.6 million, while the musical film about the life of Aretha Franklin, starring Jennifer Hudson, finished fourth with $8.8 million.
“Jungle Cruise“, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, took third place with $9 million. The adventure film is now in its third week in North American cinemas, where it has already grossed $82 million and $154 million worldwide. “The Suicide Squad” came in fifth with $7.7 million.
Still topping the summer box office charts is “Black Widow“, which was partly shot in Hungary, with $178,111,144
Sources: AP News
