Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn RSS
    Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn RSS
    SHOOTonline SHOOTonline SHOOTonline
    Register
    • Home
    • News
      • MySHOOT
      • Articles | Series
        • Best work
        • Chat Room
        • Director Profiles
        • Features
        • News Briefs
        • “The Road To Emmy”
        • “The Road To Oscar”
        • Top Spot
        • Top Ten Music Charts
        • Top Ten VFX Charts
      • Columns | Departments
        • Earwitness
        • Hot Locations
        • Legalease
        • People on the Move
        • POV (Perspective)
        • Rep Reports
        • Short Takes
        • Spot.com.mentary
        • Street Talk
        • Tool Box
        • Flashback
      • Screenwork
        • MySHOOT
        • Most Recent
        • Featured
        • Top Spot of the Week
        • Best Work You May Never See
        • New Directors Showcase
      • SPW Publicity News
        • SPW Release
        • SPW Videos
        • SPW Categories
        • Event Calendar
        • About SPW
      • Subscribe
    • Screenwork
      • Attend NDS2024
      • MySHOOT
      • Most Recent
      • Most Viewed
      • New Directors Showcase
      • Best work
      • Top spots
    • Trending
    • NDS2024
      • NDS Web Reel & Honorees
      • Become NDS Sponsor
      • ENTER WORK
      • ATTEND
    • PROMOTE
      • ADVERTISE
        • ALL AD OPTIONS
        • SITE BANNERS
        • NEWSLETTERS
        • MAGAZINE
        • CUSTOM E-BLASTS
      • FYC
        • ACADEMY | GUILDS
        • EMMY SEASON
        • CUSTOM E-BLASTS
      • NDS SPONSORSHIP
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
      • Digital ePubs Only
      • PDF Back Issues
      • Log In
      • Register
    SHOOTonline SHOOTonline SHOOTonline
    Home » “Free Guy” Tops A Mixed Box Office Weekend

    “Free Guy” Tops A Mixed Box Office Weekend

    By SHOOTSunday, August 22, 2021Updated:Tuesday, May 14, 2024No Comments2805 Views
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email
    This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Ryan Reynolds in a scene from "Free Guy." (20th Century Studios via AP)

    By Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer

    --

    Four new films with major stars from Hugh Jackman to Michael Keaton opened in North American movie theaters this weekend and only the one with animated puppies fared well. But it wasn't enough to beat out Ryan Reynolds' action-comedy "Free Guy," which topped the charts for the second weekend running.

    "PAW Patrol: The Movie," a Paramount release targeted at very young kids that's also streaming on Paramount+, earned $13 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates Sunday. It was by far the best of the new openers, which included three adult-skewing films that failed to find significant audiences: The action pic "The Protégé," with Keaton and Maggie Q, the sci-fi thriller "Reminiscence," which is also streaming on HBO Max, and the well-reviewed Rebecca Hall horror "The Night House." 

    First place went to "Free Guy," a 20th Century and Disney release that's playing exclusively in theaters. It dropped a miniscule 34% and added $18.8 million this weekend, bringing its global total to $112 million. The studio attributed the strong hold to good word of mouth. 

    "'Free Guy' is a movie that harkens back to the days when strong word of mouth and a really engaged star, Ryan Reynolds, combine to make for a great theatrical-first release," said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It shows that a theatrical-first release even in today's unusual marketplace can have legs. It feels very 2019, not pandemic-era."

    The relative success of "PAW Patrol" came as a bit of a surprise, even to those involved. Although the movie is based on an immensely popular Nickelodeon series, its target audience of under 6-year-olds is a wild card. Delta variant concerns and its availability to stream at home made it even more of a moving target. 

    Chris Aronson, the president of domestic distribution for Paramount Pictures said the weekend was a "Very nice, very pleasant surprise."

    "It's a younger skewing audience and we're in interesting times, but I think our marketing teams, both on our side and the exhibition side, did a terrific job at getting the message out," Aronson said. "The pups are very beloved and have a very, very loyal audience."

    The studio said the audience who turned out to theaters was diverse (41% white, 34% Hispanic and 20% Black) and predominately comprised of families with very young children. Aronson also noted that for the younger kids, "PAW Patrol" is likely their first experience in a movie theater ever. 

    Celebrities who voiced characters in "PAW Patrol" included Tyler Perry, Jimmy Kimmel, Yara Shahidi and Kim Kardashian.

    Disney's "Jungle Cruise," which is available to rent on Disney+ for $30, landed in third place in its fourth weekend in release. So far, the Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt action-adventure has grossed $174 million globally. 

    In its first weekend, Millennium Media's "The Protégé," starring Keaton, Q and Samuel L. Jackson, earned $2.9 million from 2,577 locations. Distributed by Lionsgate, the Martin Campbill-directed action pic about Q's assassin character Anna, who is seeking justice, got mixed-to-positive reviews. 

    Searchlight's "The Night House," which was very well-reviewed, didn't connect with its opening weekend audience, who gave it a C- CinemaScore. The indie horror about a recently widowed woman played by Hall grossed an estimated $2.9 million from 2,240 locations.

    Meanwhile, "Reminiscence" with Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton fizzled with only $2 million from 3,265 locations. The directorial debut of "Westworld" co-creator Lisa Joy, "Reminiscence" is also streaming on HBO Max. 

    It's one of several Warner Bros.' adult-skewing films that have underwhelmed with the hybrid release strategy, including the thrillers "Those Who Wish Me Dead," with Angelina Jolie and "The Little Things," with Denzel Washington. The studio is releasing all of its 2021 slate on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously.

    "I think there is a consumer confusion," Dergarabedian said of the many hybrid release strategies. "When people are faced with myriad options, they have to figure out how when and where they can get that content. To rise above the noise, you really have to have a film that's buzzworthy. 'Free Guy' is that buzzworthy movie and it's only available in theaters."

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 

    1. "Free Guy," $18.8 million.
    2. "PAW Patrol: The Movie," $13 million.
    3. "Jungle Cruise," $6.2 million.
    4. "Don't Breathe 2," $5.1 million.
    5. "Respect," $3.8 million.
    6. "The Suicide Squad," $3.4 million.
    7. "The Protégé," $2.9 million.
    8. "The Night House," $2.9 million.
    9. "Reminiscence," $2 million.
    10. "Black Widow," $1.2 million. 

    REGISTRATION REQUIRED to access this page.

    Already registered? LOGIN
    Don't have an account? REGISTER

    Registration is FREE and FAST.

    The limited access duration has come to an end. (Access was allowed until: 2021-08-24)
    Category:News
    Tags:box officeFree GuyPAW Patrol: The MovieReminiscenceThe Night House



    Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle Reflect On The Life-Changing Film “Trainspotting”

    Saturday, June 6, 2026
    This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Ewan McGregor in a scene from "Trainspotting." (Liam Longman/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)

    Ewan McGregor, for a fleeting moment after "Trainspotting" came out, felt like a rock star. It wasn't his first significant project; it wasn't even his first film with director Danny Boyle. And he was, in his words, fairly arrogant and cocksure at the time. But that kinetic film about four heroin addicts in late-1980s Scotland was and, 30 years later, remains defining — in his career, in the culture and in his understanding of what true artistic satisfaction can feel like. "It's very much in that early part of my career, and of course, even today, probably the most important piece of work that I was involved in, just because it had such a massive effect on my life. Not only because of what it did, but because of how it felt to make," McGregor told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "It set the bar unknowingly high because it's been quite hard to match ever since." Both McGregor and Boyle are a little wistful about the time, and what they made, as the film marks its 30th anniversary re-release. A 4K digital restoration started in theaters nationwide on Friday (6/5). Though "Trainspotting" was very much of its moment with its Britpop soundtrack, its Thatcher-era grit, its darkly comedic tone and shrewd blend of giddy highs and tragic lows, it's also one that has stood the unforgiving test of time. "You get kids coming up to you who are 17 who said they'd just seen it," Boyle said. "I could be their grandfather … yet it still spoke to them." Putting Hollywood on hold Boyle was a hot commodity after "Shallow Grave," a 1994 black comedy about flatmates in Edinburgh starring McGregor, and Hollywood was calling. Literally. A peak-famous Sharon Stone cold-called him and asked if he'd want to come make a film with her. But he had... Read More

    No More Posts Found

    MySHOOT Profiles

    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Previous ArticleJason Momoa, Isabela Merced Form Father-Daughter Bond In Netflix’s “Sweet Girl”
    Next Article Sunny Nan named director of technology at Barbarian
    SHOOT

    Add A Comment
    What's Hot

    Pearl Jam Bassist Jeff Ament Is “Paving the Way” With Documentary Short At Tribeca

    Saturday, June 6, 2026

    Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle Reflect On The Life-Changing Film “Trainspotting”

    Saturday, June 6, 2026

    Delving Into The Visual Effects For “Wednesday” and “Stranger Things”

    Friday, June 5, 2026
    Shoot Screenwork

    Top Spot of the Week: Martin de Thurah Directs Absurdist “It’s Over” For Wealthsimple

    Friday, June 5, 2026

    Wealthsimple, director Martin De Thurah and Epoch Films return for their latest campaign, “It’s Over,”…

    Director Ivan Zacharias and TBWA\Media Arts Lab Go On A Privacy Safari To Get “Clingers” Off People’s Backs For Apple

    Thursday, June 4, 2026

    Director X, Kevin Durant and “Yes Man” Drake Come Together For A Comedic Rollout Of The Nike NOCTA KD19 Sneaker

    Wednesday, June 3, 2026

    BBDO NY and Comedian Eric Andre Hold A Focus Group For SNICKERS Peanut Butter

    Tuesday, June 2, 2026

    The Trusted Source For News, Information, Industry Trends, New ScreenWork, and The People Behind the Work in Film, TV, Commercial, Entertainment Production & Post Since 1960.

    Today's Date: Fri May 26 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn RSS
    More Info
    • Overview
    • Upcoming in SHOOT Magazine
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • SHOOT Copyright Notice
    • SPW Copyright Notice
    • Spam Policy
    • Terms of Service (TOS)
    • FAQ
    STAY CURRENT

    SUBSCRIBE TO SHOOT EPUBS

    © 1990-2021 DCA Business Media LLC. All rights reserved. SHOOT and SHOOTonline are registered trademarks of DCA Business Media LLC.
    • Home
    • Trending Now

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.