Paramount invested $110 million in the remake, plus at least $70 million for marketing. The box office results for Running Man have been uninspiring.
Despite a broad release, including IMAX which generally boosts revenue due to higher ticket prices, Running Man achieved a disappointing domestic gross of $16 million to $17 million, along with only $11 million from international markets. The total worldwide gross is a mere $28 million.
STUDIO EXEC 1: What do you think will happen if we take out all the main, charismatic actors and their charm?
STUDIO EXEC 2: Even better, let’s have star Glen Powell run around without a shirt. That should win over a lot of fans.
STUDIO EXEC 1: Sure, but make sure you’re catering to your own preferences instead of the audience for whom the movie was intended!
STUDIO EXEC 2: I mean, I just love to make myself happy. In fact, I was just getting into it not long ago.
STUDIO EXEC 1: It used to be our job to keep the audience happy, not just ourselves.
STUDIO EXEC 2: Kathleen Kennedy will always be remembered as the trailblazer for us.
I wasn’t expecting much, but can you guess which film managed to grab attention and brought in about three times more than Running Man? It was Now You See Me, which raked in $75.5 million globally.
Stephen King’s recent box office performances have also been underwhelming. Besides the flop of Running Man, his other film Long Walk made just 62.2 million globally. On top of that, Monkey only hit $69 million, while Chuck’s Life brought in just $19.4 million.
Running Man is a Paramount release, and due to David Ellison’s political ties, the media is pointing fingers at him regarding the film’s lack of success.
According to reports, “The more I investigate, the more it seems that Running Man‘s underperformance might be linked to the shift in leadership at Paramount under David Ellison.”
But come on, Ellison just took over. Marketing campaigns usually start a year before a film is released, with plans set long before filming starts.
David Ellison is now in charge at Paramount, that’s the reality of the situation.
I’m curious about what might draw in our core group of young men for Running Man. Thoughts? What do you think could’ve helped attract them?
It’s quite ridiculous.
John Nolte’s debut novel: Borrowed Time, winninghas received five-star reviews from enthusiastic readers. You can check out an excerpt here and read a detailed review here. It’s also available in hardcover as well as Kindle and audio book.
