Things got far worse for Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” this weekend. The film is set to lose Paramount a lot of money, and I hate to say it, but that “Barbarella” remake Wright was planning with Sweeney? Probably not going to happen, for a number of reasons.
“The Running Man,” as predicted, is in free fall, likely to plunge at least 70% in its second weekend with a horrid $5M intake. “Running Man” grossed an estimated $1.67M on Friday (from 3,534 locations). Estimated total domestic gross stands at $25M, and overseas it’s even worse — its tally currently stands at $13M.
So that $38M worldwide total is bad. Making things worse is that the film cost $110M to produce. The film is currently expected to show up on VOD December 16, but expect that date to move up, maybe even to the last week of November.
What’s even more astounding is that, given its budget and relentless marketing, the reported break-even point for this film was apparently $260M+ which means $200M+ in losses is on the table for Paramount. No two ways about it: this movie is a bomb.
What went wrong? There are many theories out there. A combination of factors. Despite Paramount’s confidence that Glen Powell is an A-lister capable of selling tickets on his name alone, it’s a theory that’s never really been proven yet. One other possibility is weak marketing or misaligned promotional strategies that failed to generate excitement among target audiences.
Then there’s the reviews and lukewarm word-of-mouth, which no doubt contributed to this weekend’s steep drop. I know there are purists out there who still don’t believe that in 2025 a Rotten Tomatoes score can sink or swim a film, and that obviously doesn’t go for every movie out there, but “Running Man” needed strong reviews, and it just didn’t get them.
Where Wright goes next is anybody’s guess, but I would bet good money his next film will not be granted the kind of budget he got on “Running Man.” Wright seems to fly highest, and is in his comfort zone, when he works at mid-budget. Just look at “Baby Driver” — it cost $34M, earned $227M worldwide, and with great reviews to its name.
So, I’m afraid, no “Barbarella,” and instead, maybe, a reunion with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost — that would be more than welcome.