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By0Yoon
The Fallout of “The Fall Guy”: Why This Summer’s Box Office is So Concerning
It is wild to me that "The Fall Guy" is considered a box office disappointment. I saw it opening weekend, and the theater was maybe a third full....
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It is wild to me that “The Fall Guy” is considered a box office disappointment. I saw it opening weekend, and the theater was maybe a third full. The energy was great, people were laughing, and honestly, it was one of the most purely fun times I’ve had at the movies in a while. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have this fantastic, crackling chemistry. You can tell they’re genuinely having a blast. The stunts are insane in the best way possible—real, practical, bone-jarring car flips and falls that feel like a love letter to the unsung heroes of filmmaking. And yet, here we are, with the headlines calling it an underperformer. It’s a head-scratcher, and it says a lot more about the state of the movie industry right now than it does about the quality of the film itself.
So, what’s the deal? The numbers are pretty stark. The film had a reported production budget of around $130 million. For its big opening weekend, it pulled in just over $27 million. By traditional Hollywood math, a movie like this needs to make at least double its budget to break even, considering the massive marketing costs—which for a summer tentpole can be another $100 million easily. It’s been out for a few weeks now and has crawled past the $150 million mark globally, which is better, but still not the runaway hit Universal was banking on. This is a movie starring an Oscar nominee (Gosling, fresh off the “Barbie” high) and a beloved actress (Blunt), based on a semi-known property, and it’s struggling. That’s a red flag.
I think the problem is a perfect storm of bad timing and shifting audience habits. First, the release date was brutal. It kicked off the summer season, which sounds prestigious, but it came out right on the heels of the absolute monster that is “Dune: Part Two.” People were still riding that high, and maybe their movie-going budget for the month was already spent. Furthermore, the marketing, while fun, might have been a bit confusing. Was it a straight-up action movie? A romantic comedy? A behind-the-scenes Hollywood satire? It’s actually all three, but that’s a tricky thing to sell in a 30-second trailer. I had to explain the premise to a couple of friends, and their reaction was usually, “Wait, it’s based on an old TV show?”
This ties into the bigger, scarier issue for studios: the “middle-class” movie is dying. We’re living in an era of extremes. On one end, you have the gargantuan event films—the superhero sequels, the “Dune”-level spectacles, the “Barbenheimer” cultural phenomena. These are the movies that feel like you *have* to see them in a theater. On the other end, you have a tidal wave of content on streaming services. If a movie looks like a good time, but not necessarily a *must-see-on-the-biggest-screen-possible* event, a lot of people will just think, “I’ll wait for it on Netflix.”
“The Fall Guy” is the poster child for that kind of movie. It’s a slick, well-made, original-action-rom-com. It’s not part of a universe. It doesn’t have a legion of fans waiting to dissect every frame. It’s just a really good movie. And in 2024, that might not be enough. This is terrifying if you love a diverse cinematic landscape. If a star-driven, critically-liked, stunt-filled spectacle can’t make it, what chance does anything that isn’t a pre-sold brand have?
I have this sinking feeling that the success of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” gave studios a false sense of security. They saw that original, non-franchise films could still dominate. But those were lightning-in-a-bottle, once-in-a-decade events. “The Fall Guy” represents the reality for most other films trying to compete. The theatrical experience is becoming a luxury reserved for the absolute biggest blockbusters, and everything else is being conditioned to be consumed at home. It’s a shame, because the joy of watching that giant fire-rimmed stuntman logo on the big screen, knowing the film celebrates real practical work, is a specific kind of magic. I just hope the industry figures this out before the only movies we get in theaters are sequels, prequels, and reboots. The fate of “The Fall Guy” might just be the most important story of the summer.
I finally got around to watching ‘Dune: Part Two’ last weekend, and I have to say, it’s one of the few times a movie has completely lived up to, and even surpassed, the hype for me. In a landscape of endless sequels and superhero fatigue, this film is a stark reminder of what epic cinema can achieve. It’s not just a movie; it’s an experience.
Let’s talk about the visuals first, because they are just insane. Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser have crafted a world that feels both ancient and alien. The scenes on the desert planet of Arrakis are breathtaking. I remember one particular sequence—the first sandworm ride with Paul Atreides. The scale of it, the sound design that rumbled through the theater seats, and the sheer awe on the characters’ faces mirrored exactly what I was feeling. It wasn’t just CGI spectacle; it had weight and consequence. They used a lot of practical effects and real locations, and you can feel the difference. It’s gritty and real, not a shiny, weightless digital cartoon.
The performances are another huge win. Timothée Chalamet fully steps into the role of Paul Muad’Dib. In the first film, he was more of a reluctant noble son, but here, you see the transformation into a leader, and eventually, a messianic figure. You see the conflict in his eyes—the fear of the holy war he knows he’s about to unleash. It’s a nuanced performance that anchors the entire sprawling narrative. And then there’s Zendaya as Chani. She has so much more to do in this film, and she’s phenomenal. She embodies the strength and skepticism of the Fremen people. Her character is the heart of the story, the moral compass who questions the very legend Paul is becoming. The chemistry between them feels authentic, which is crucial because their relationship is central to the plot’s emotional core.
But the real scene-stealer for me, and for a lot of people from what I’ve read, is Austin Butler. I was skeptical. How do you go from Elvis to a villain in a sci-fi epic? Well, he absolutely disappears into the role of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. He’s terrifying. He’s bald, pale, and speaks in this chilling, measured voice that is nothing like his natural tone. His introduction scene in the black-and-white gladiator arena on Giedi Prime is one of the most stylistically bold and unsettling sequences I’ve seen in a big blockbuster in years. It’s a performance built on pure, unhinged menace, and it works perfectly against Chalamet’s more internal and calculated Paul.
The thing that struck me the most, and this is where the film truly excels, is how it handles its heavy themes. ‘Dune’ is a story about the danger of charismatic leaders and the perversion of religion for political power. The movie doesn’t shy away from this. It’s not a simple hero’s journey. You are constantly questioning whether Paul is a savior or a harbinger of doom. There’s a palpable sense of dread as you watch the Fremen fervor grow around him, knowing the galactic jihad is coming. In an era where we see the real-world consequences of blind fanaticism, this narrative feels incredibly relevant and brave for a tentpole film.
Of course, the sound design and score by Hans Zimmer are characters in themselves. The bagpipes for House Atreides, the throat-singing for the Fremen, the electronic pulses for the Harkonnens—each sound is distinctive and builds the world as much as the visuals do. I saw it in IMAX, and at times it was almost overwhelming in the best way possible.
Is it a perfect film? Well, the runtime is long, and the plot is dense with politics and proper nouns. If you’re not already invested in the world, it might feel a bit impenetrable at first. It demands your attention; this isn’t a movie to scroll through your phone during. But for me, that’s part of its appeal. It respects its audience’s intelligence.
Watching ‘Dune: Part Two’ felt like witnessing a modern classic in the making. It’s a staggering technical achievement, a compelling character drama, and a thought-provoking piece of science fiction all rolled into one. In a time where going to the movies can sometimes feel like a routine, this film is a genuine event. It’s the kind of movie that reminds you why you fell in love with cinema in the first place.
I went into the Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime with pretty low expectations, I have to be honest. Video game adaptations have a rough track record, and I was just expecting another generic, kinda boring action series that misses the point of the games. But let me tell you, after binging the whole season in like two days, I was completely blown away. It’s not just good for a video game adaptation; it’s legitimately one of the best shows I’ve seen this year.
The first thing that hits you is the tone. They absolutely nailed the weird, darkly comedic vibe of the games. The world is a nuclear wasteland, it’s brutal and people die in horrifying ways, but it’s also just so funny. It’s that specific blend of 1950s Americana aesthetics and post-apocalyptic horror. You’ll have a scene where someone is getting torn apart by a mutated bear, and the next moment, a cheerful, retro-futuristic jingle for a product called “Pip-Boy” is playing. The show runners, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, clearly get what makes Fallout special. It’s not about being grimdark all the time; it’s about the absurdity of civilization trying to rebuild itself with a 1950s mindset after the end of the world.
A huge part of why this works is the casting. Ella Purnell is perfect as Lucy MacLean. She starts off as this naive, almost annoyingly optimistic Vault-dweller who believes in the power of community and cooperation. Watching her journey to the surface and have her worldview completely shattered is both heartbreaking and hilarious. Her slow descent from a wide-eyed idealist to someone who will bash a raider’s head in with a geiger counter is the core of the show. Then you have Aaron Moten as Maximus, a squire in the Brotherhood of Steel. His story is all about ambition, insecurity, and what it really means to wear that powerful power armor.
But the real scene-stealer, for me and for pretty much everyone I’ve talked to, is Walton Goggins as The Ghoul. Oh my god, he is incredible. He plays a mutated bounty hunter who’s been alive since before the bombs fell, and he’s just terrifying, charismatic, and surprisingly tragic all at once. The show uses flashbacks to show his pre-war life as a charismatic actor named Cooper Howard, and those scenes are just as compelling as the main wasteland plot. Goggins completely owns every second he’s on screen. You never know if he’s going to help someone, kill them, or just deliver a sarcastic one-liner before doing both.
The plot itself is a really smart expansion of the game’s lore. It doesn’t just re-tell one of the game’s stories; it creates a new, compelling narrative that feels completely authentic to the universe. It weaves together the stories of Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul as they all search for the same thing for different reasons. And along the way, it dives deep into the mysteries of the Vault-Tec corporation and what really caused the Great War. The answers they provide are satisfying and add a new layer to the entire Fallout mythology. It’s fan service done right – it rewards people who know the games inside and out, but it’s also a gripping mystery for newcomers.
Speaking of the world, the production design is just insane. Every detail feels ripped right out of the game. From the clunky, retro-futuristic computers and the iconic Pip-Boy on Lucy’s wrist, to the design of the Vaults and the terrifyingly practical look of the Brotherhood of Steel’s power armor. It all feels tangible and real. And the creatures! Seeing the Gulpers, the Deathclaws, and especially the adorable-yet-deadly Radroaches brought to life with such gritty practicality is a dream come true for fans. They use a mix of practical effects and CGI, and it just works so well.
I think what I love most about the show is that it understands the central theme of Fallout: that the wasteland doesn’t just change the landscape, it changes people. It forces you to confront who you really are when all the rules of society are gone. Lucy tries to hold onto her humanity, Maximus tries to find power to mask his weakness, and The Ghoul has fully embraced the savage nature of the new world. Their journeys are a constant negotiation between survival and morality.
This show is the new gold standard for how to do a video game adaptation. It respects the source material but isn’t a slave to it. It’s confident, brilliantly acted, and tells a story that is both wildly entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful. If you have any interest in sci-fi, dark comedy, or just great television, you need to watch this. It’s that good.
I just finished the Fallout TV series on Amazon Prime, and I have to say, it completely sucked me in. I went in hoping for a decent adaptation of the games, but what I got was something that totally understands the soul of Fallout. It’s that perfect mix of dark, brutal violence and absolutely absurd, laugh-out-loud humor.
The tone is just spot on. One minute you’re watching a horrifying scene in the wasteland, and the next, someone is making a weird joke about pre-war snack cakes. It’s exactly how the games feel. Ella Purnell as Lucy is fantastic. She plays this vault-dweller who is naively optimistic, and watching her slowly realize how messed up the world really is provides the heart of the show. Her journey from a sheltered life to surviving the insane surface is both hilarious and gripping.
But for me, the real standout is Walton Goggins as The Ghoul. He is just incredible. He plays this morally grey bounty hunter who has been alive for centuries, and you can never tell if he’s about to help someone or shoot them in the face. The show does a great job with flashbacks to his life before the war, which adds so much depth to his character. You understand why he became this cynical, hardened survivor.
The production design is another huge win. Everything from the Pip-Boys and the power armor to the look of the Brotherhood of Steel looks like it was pulled straight from the game. It feels authentic and lived-in. The story also isn’t just a re-telling of one game; it’s a new story that fits perfectly into the world’s lore, which I think was a really smart move.
Honestly, I binged the whole season in two days. It’s one of those rare video game adaptations that gets it right, respecting the source material while also telling a compelling new story. If you’re a fan of the games, you’ll love all the little details. And if you’ve never played them, you’re in for a wild, unique ride.