Box Office Performance of The Naked Gun Revival
What better way to bow out than with laughter?
Paramount’s noted The Naked Gun revival, featuring Liam Neeson alongside Pamela Anderson, launched its North American run with a Friday gross of $6.3 million, estimating a total opening weekend of about $16.5 million. This places it in third position, trailing behind Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which maintained first place with an estimated $40 million in its second weekend, and Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s new family movie The Bad Guys 2, which earned $9.2 million on Friday, totaling an estimated $22.8 million for its debut. (Superman topped the day with nearly $12 million.) Both debuts exceeded expectations.
Transitioning Studios
Coincidentally, Naked Gun marks the final release from the current iteration of Paramount Pictures before the upcoming $8 billion merger with David Ellison’s Skydance on August 7. Brian Robbins, the amicable head of Paramount, who is also one of three interim CEOs of Paramount Global during this transition, is expected to step down once Ellison assumes control, bringing in his own executive team.
Naked Gun’s Cast and Crew
Produced by Seth MacFarlane, the Naked Gun revival features Neeson in his first leading comedic role as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., aspiring to follow the legacy of his father, the iconic character portrayed by Leslie Nielsen in the original series. The film received an A-CinemaScore from audiences along with favorable PostTrak feedback.
Supporting Cast and Direction
The film also stars Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston. This marks the fourth addition to the long-dormant series, directed by Akiva Schaffer, who co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, and it arrives 31 years after the previous film, 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
Comparative Box Office Trends
The Fantastic Four reboot continues to dominate after breaking a streak of underperformance for Marvel, achieving $117 million domestically at its opening. While the movie has received impressive reviews and audience ratings, it anticipates a drop of over 65% in its second weekend—a typical trend for superhero films. Comparatively, DC’s Superman experienced a smaller decrease of under 54% and surpassed the $300 million mark domestically last week.
Other Releases and Predictions
Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson simultaneously promotes both The Bad Guys 2 and Naked Gun. If projections hold, Bad Guys is set for an impressive animated opening, close to its predecessor’s $23 million debut, leading to over $250 million globally. Directed by Pierre Perifel, the sequel reunites the original voice cast and adds new talent including Zazie Beetz and Richard Ayoade.
The weekend’s other new release is Neon’s horror-comedy Together, featuring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, which is projected to debut at sixth place with approximately $7 million.
