The definition of the term has shifted significantly during the pandemic era, but it would be fair to call Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy one of 2021’s biggest sleeper hits. Of course, almost everything is a sleeper these days when the theatrical industry continues to struggle for consistency, but as a rare big screen exclusive that can’t be found on streaming, the video game-inspired blockbuster has fared admirably.
Even after six weeks in release, Free Guy is still holding onto second place in the domestic charts after bringing in another $5 million this weekend, where it’s seen off plenty of competition to stand firm. On top of that, the high concept blockbuster should pass $300 million globally by the end of tomorrow, a solid return given the circumstances.
China is slowly opening itself back up to Hollywood productions, with Denis Villenueve’s Dune and James Bond effort No Time to Die both being approved for a local rollout next month, but Free Guy has already spent three weeks at the summit of the country’s box office, racking up $85 million in that period, as per Variety.
The acclaimed action comedy has finally been dislodged by disaster epic Cloudy Mountain, but it’s still performed well enough to rank as the third highest-grossing American film of the year in China behind Fast & Furious 9 and Godzilla vs. Kong. That’s good news for Disney, subsidiary 20th Century Studios and Reynolds, who admitted he’s already been asked to come up with a sequel.
