By the standards of the pandemic era, Free Guy opened roughly in line with recent blockbusters Jungle Cruise and Space Jam: A New Legacy, but Shawn Levy’s video game-inspired blockbuster is showing some seriously strong legs in its sophomore frame, indicating that it could play well for a good few weeks to come.
Plenty of titles released over the summer have dropped anywhere between 60-70% in their second weekends, but should the projections pan out, Free Guy is poised to haul in an additional $18 million for a dip of just 34%. That’s one of the best week-to-week holds we’ve seen this year, and stands that sequel in very good stead.
A commercial success by the standards of the time and a critical smash hit under any circumstances, star Ryan Reynolds may have credited his bevvy of A-list friends for Free Guy‘s success, but his charming lead performance and plenty of high concept thrills have clearly enamored audiences all over the country.
The leading man and producer acknowledged the irony of the Mouse House chasing a sequel when the story constantly mocks both the gaming and film industry mining IP for all it’s worth at the expense of original content, but at least that could provide a narrative springboard, when the ending of Free Guy hardly left the door wide open in terms of obvious directions to head in future installments.