Universal’s Sydney-shot action comedy The Fall Guy has stepped in to work its magic at the Australian box office, debuting at number one after being released last Wednesday.
David Leitch’s adaptation of the 80s television series bowed to $3.7 million from 568 screens, or $4.3 million with previews, representing more than 40 per cent of the total for top 20 films, down 3 per cent from last week at $8.7 million.
The film stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) — goes missing.
Australia was one of the early markets to release the film, which premiered at this year’s SXSW and will debut in the US on May 3. According to Deadline, the film has made US$8.7 million from 38 international markets.
Its release meant Universal stablemate Kung Fu Panda 4 was pushed into second position in its fifth frame, adding a further $1.6 million to move past $22.5 million overall. Figures from Box Office Mojo indicate the film has now grossed more than US$500 million worldwide.
Warner Bros. Queensland-shot Monsterverse sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire just managed to hold on to third position with $818,855 from its fifth weekend to reach $17.8 million.
The Zendaya-led romantic sports drama Challengers, also from Warner Bros, showed plenty of spirit in its second outing with $731,332, dipping only 17 per cent from its debut.
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire rounded out the top five with $545,090 from its sixth weekend to reach $12.5 million.
Signal Pictures’ South Korean action crime adventure The Roundup: Punishment managed to crack the top ten in its debut, despite only being released on 48 screens, taking in $237,196 to punch above its weight with a screen average of $4,942 per session.
Of the Australian releases, Maslow Entertainment’s Late Night With The Devil again led the way with $95,442 from its third frame, contributing to an overall total of $719,329.
Speaking about his weekend takings, Hayden Orpheum general manager Alex Temesvari told IF he had been pleased with the performance of both
“Trading was solid for us with The Fall Guy coming out on top as expected,” he said.
“Perhaps more impressively though, we traded as the number one site nationally on both the Alien 45th Anniversary rerelease and Mad About the Boy — The Noël Coward Story, again showing how important alt-content is, especially to an arthouse crossover site like ours.”
Australian box office data is sourced via Numero.
Australian films box office performance (2024)
| Film | Budget (est) | Distributor | Opening w/e | Weeks | Box office |
| Late Night With The Devil | – | Madman | $1.6m | 3 | $719,329 |
| The Trust Fall: Julian Assange | Independent | – | 14 | $324,868 | |
| Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back | Maslow Entertainment | $5,500 | 9 | $365,278 | |
| Before Dawn | $10m | Umbrella | $99,971 | 4 | $247,918 |
| Just a Farmer | $1.9m | VAM Paddock Productions | $40,070 | 6 | $130,256 |
| The Emu War | – | Umbrella Entertainment | – | 17 | $13,298 |
Films shot in Australia box office performance (2024)
| Film | Budget (est) | Distributor | Opening w/e | Weeks | Box office |
| The Fall Guy | $US125m | Universal | $3.7m | 1 | $4.3m |
| Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | $US135-$US150m | Warner Bros. | $5.6m | 5 | $17.8m |