Summary

• The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is an over-the-top action comedy that looks promising but is unlikely to achieve the same success as Barbie and Oppenheimer.
• The trailer showcases the unique concept of a no-name stunt double becoming a hero to save an action star and finish a movie, which adds a hilarious twist to the genre.
• Despite the potential for great performances from Gosling and Blunt, The Fall Guy isn’t expected to reach the box office success of Barbie and Oppenheimer, as it’s a comedy that won’t have the same impact as a feminist masterpiece or historical drama.

The forces of Barbie and Oppenheimer are coming together for the 2024 movie The Fall Guy, but it’s unlikely to come close to the success of these top 2023 films. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are joining forces for the action romance comedy, and the trailer alone showcases why their respective performances in Barbenheimer were so celebrated. The meta “film about filmmaking” puts a twist on the classic ideas of action and seeing the unseen heroes of stunt work come into the limelight. The Fall Guy should be a good deal of fun, especially with these two actors on board, though it’s unlikely to be their best.

2023 saw the emergence of Barbenheimer, the social phenomenon celebrating two of the year’s biggest films. Together, Barbie and Oppenheimer brought in $2.2 billion at the global box office, and though neither Gosling nor Blunt were the leads of their respective films, their supporting roles were a significant part of Barbenheimer‘s success. Gosling’s Ken allowed the comedic but societally significant Barbie to explore the effects of toxic masculinity on men, and Blunt’s portrayal of the steadfast Kitty Oppenheimer made Oppenheimer even more captivating. Together, these Barbenheimer actors can make The Fall Guy something great.

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Why Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt’s The Fall Guy Looks So Good

The Fall Guy, releasing May 3, 2024, looks every bit the sort of over-the-top, self-aware action film that could perform stupendously at the box office. The film is based on an ’80s TV series of the same name, which follows a stuntman named Colt Seavers, who moonlights as a bounty hunter. The film takes a more comedic approach to this, with a character of the same name (Gosling) using his talents as a stunt actor to track down the missing star of a movie directed by his love interest, Jody Moreno (Blunt).

The trailer for The Fall Guy is all explosions, daring feats, and clumsy comedy, but Gosling’s character’s sentiment of “I’m not the hero, I’m just the double” really sets it apart from other films in the genre. The idea of a no-name stunt double becoming a real hero determined to save an action star so the girl he loves can finish his movie is an excellent hook. Gosling and Blunt’s performances allow The Fall Guy‘s meta concept to come across as downright hilarious. It’s a film that’s sure to draw audiences to the theaters, especially following the actors’ recent successes.

The Fall Guy Probably Won’t Come Close To Barbie & Oppenheimer’s Box Office Success

As great as The Fall Guy looks, it’s unlikely to see the same kind of success as either Barbie or Oppenheimer. Gosling and Blunt’s performance could be even better than in Oppenheimer, but an action rom-com isn’t meant to hold the same weight as, say, a feminist masterpiece and a historical drama. Oppenheimer made $950 million at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Barbie‘s $1.4 billion was even more impressive since it easily made it the top-grossing comedy, beating the 2nd place winner, The Hangover Part 2, by an unbelievable $853 million (more than the dethroned film even grossed, according to The Numbers).

Therefore, as a comedy itself, it would take a miracle for The Fall Guy to come close to or beat either Barbie or Oppenheimer. Were the Gosling and Blunt movie to beat at least the latter, it would still be several million dollars ahead of The Hangover Part 2, which held its top spot in the genre for over a decade. A film like The Fall Guy isn’t built to keep up with such numbers. With these Barbenheimer actors coming together, the 2024 film is sure to be a hit—just not at the same caliber as their most recent hits.

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  The Fall Guy

  Release Date:

  2024-03-01

  Director:

  David Leitch

  Cast:

  Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer

  Rating:

  PG-13

  Genres:

  Action, Drama, Thriller

  Writers:

  Drew Pearce

  Studio(s):

  Universal Pictures, Entertainment 360, 87North Productions

  Distributor(s):

  Universal Pictures