Times are still a bit tough at the box office, with the market slowly but surely getting closer to the normalcy of the Before Times. Case in point, as of this week, only five Hollywood releases have crossed the threshold of $300 million in total worldwide grosses. While Ryan Reynolds’ video game-inspired film Free Guy is still going at the international box office, it’s become the fifth entry on that very list of 2021 box office successes.
Coming in at an estimated $108.8 million on the domestic front, it’s the $193.6 million and counting at the international market that’s been leveling up Free Guy’s box office stats. Deadline reported the latest number crunching, as well as the newest milestone racked up by director Shawn Levy’s original movie, which now sits at $302.4 million. With Disney already looking to have 20th Century Studios develop a sequel to the adventures of Guy and his digital compatriots, that decision already looks like it’s paying off.
In case you were wondering, the other four Hollywood-produced films to reach this milestone are pretty much the usual suspects you’d expect. And at the time of this writing, through numbers provided by Box Office Mojo, Free Guy is within striking distance of another Disney movie’s impressive showings. From the top of the pack and in descending order, here are the other movies that make up 2021’s brightest stars:
F9: The Fast Saga - $716.5 millionGodzilla vs. Kong - $467.9 millionBlack Widow - $377.9 millionShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - $305.1 million
Naturally, with the lack of a Chinese release for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at the moment, Free Guy’s chances of jumping ahead of Marvel’s latest star are good. It also helps that the Jodie Comer/Ryan Reynolds action comedy happened to be the first out of the gate once the seasonal blackout for foreign films in China was lifted. Though unlike other films like Terminator: Genisys that have taken advantage of this fact to get a leg up, Free Guy’s good news comes after impressive domestic showings.
For the moment, it’s Free Guy’s time to shine on the international stage. But should Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings secure itself a release in the Chinese market, it feels like only a matter of time before another Disney success story winds up in the news. So it’s the right time to mark the moment that Free Guy went from sweet fantasy to an even sweeter reality.
Free Guy might still be playing at a theater near you, with the physical home video release currently set for October 12 in the domestic market. But this year still has plenty of other surprises up its sleeve, as you can see when taking a look at 2021’s release schedule. Believe it or not, there’s more Ryan Reynolds excitement on the way!
