‘The Fall Guy' lands a bit short in lackluster start to summer movie season

Core Insights - "The Fall Guy" opened with $28.5 million, falling short of expectations for a summer movie season that is uncertain for Hollywood [1][2] - The film's production budget is $130 million, and it earned an additional $25.4 million internationally, indicating a need for sustained interest to achieve profitability [2] - The summer box office is projected to be closer to $3 billion, significantly lower than the historical average of $4 billion, due to fewer major releases [3][4] Box Office Performance - "The Fall Guy" ranked first at the box office with $28.5 million, while "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" re-release came in second with $8.1 million [6] - "Challengers" dropped to third place with $7.6 million, reflecting a 49% decline from its opening weekend [4][6] - The supernatural horror film "Tarot" debuted with $6.5 million, indicating a weaker performance for the horror genre compared to previous years [5][6] Industry Trends - The superhero genre is experiencing a decline in box office performance, prompting studios to seek new alternatives [2][3] - The impact of last year's strikes has resulted in fewer big movies being released this summer, contributing to a less traditional movie season [3][4] - Audience reception for "The Fall Guy" is positive, with an "A-" CinemaScore and an 83% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting potential for a longer run [2]