Heading into the year, 2025 looked to be the year to be a Stephen King fan. Hollywood had four movies and two TV shows based on his writings in some form set for release. So far, we’ve received three of the films: The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, and The Long Walk.
Each was warmly received by critics and general audiences, but that hasn’t translated to major box office success. The Monkey opened to $14 million and finished with $68 million worldwide ($39.7M of which came domestically) — which is profitable for a $10M production. The Life of Chuck bombed after Neon held onto it for nearly a year, making $19 million worldwide.
Most recently, The Long Walk only made $11 million in its opening weekend and has crawled to $54 million worldwide ($35M domestically). With a $20M budget, it has broken even for Lionsgate.
Two of the three films have been financially sound decisions, but none have really managed to capture the audience’s attention and have strong legs. Luckily, Stephen King has Glen Powell on his side to do just that before 2025 wraps up.
Glen Powell’s The Running Man Has Strong Box Office Projections
The Running Man is the fourth and final Stephen King movie coming out this year, and Glen Powell stars as the central protagonist Ben Richards, previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 adaptation. With director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) at the helm, expectations have long been high that the movie will be a big hit in theaters.
Paramount has done an excellent job of building interest in the movie, as The Running Man‘s marketing campaign has delivered strong trailers. Powell is doing his part too, with his promotional tour for Chad Powers season 1 even helping shine more of a spotlight on his next hopeful blockbuster hit.
That’s all helped The Running Man stay afloat and keep solid projections for its box office performance. Firmer tracking will surface in the next week or two, but the early projections are promising, even if a wide range exists.
Box Office Theory‘s latest forecast for The Running Man‘s opening weekend is $23 million. The site gives the film a range of $19 million on the low end to $28 million on the high end. That would make it the highest opening weekend for a Stephen King movie since 2019, as it’s in the same range as Pet Sematary‘s $24M launch.
That feels like a very realistic performance for the film at this stage. There is no critical consensus on the film to impact how audiences think of the film. If reviews are glowing, then projections could shoot up in the weeks ahead. A higher figure isn’t totally inconceivable either.
Earlier this month, Box Office Pro shared long-range projections for the movie, which suggested The Running Man could make $40M-$50M in its opening weekend domestically. That would be an incredible figure for the movie to hit, especially as it has notable competition opening against Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
Admittedly, this projection feels a bit optimistic. The original 1987 film didn’t even make that much in its entire theatrical run, finishing at $38 million. So is that higher figure really achievable? If so, it’s thanks to Glen Powell.
Glen Powell Is A Big Reason Why The Running Man Could Be A Box Office Hit
As Hollywood keeps searching for the next group of A-list stars, the 36-year-old actor has seen his profile rise at the perfect time. While Powell started turning heads nearly a decade ago with his work in Everybody Wants Some!! and Set It Up, his breakout as a box office star came in 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick.
Starring alongside Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and a cast of new pilots that grows more impressive by the year, Powell stole the show as Hangman. The $1.4 billion performance meant more people than ever were exposed to his leading man charisma. The only question was whether viewers would follow him to projects beyond Top Gun.
The answer, so far, is a resounding yes. Starring alongside Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You, the rom-com was one of the surprise box office hits in 2023-2024. It had a modest opening but posted incredible legs, resulting in a $220 million haul worldwide. Powell’s stardom translated to romance and comedy, not just big action blockbusters.
He brought all those aspects together in 2024 with Twisters. The franchise revival defied all odds with an $81 million opening weekend (it was only projected to make around $50 million), and it finished its theatrical run with a massive $372 million performance.
The combination of this great run (which also included the stellar response to Hit Man) made Powell a go-to actor that all of Hollywood wanted to work with. He attached himself to a ton of projects throughout 2024, including The Running Man, because of the belief that his name/face would help sell a movie and bring audiences to theaters.
Powell and Paramount haven’t hit the viral aspect of Anyone But You and Twisters‘ marketing as hard for The Running Man, but there is a growing track record with him at the box office that inspires confidence. He is arguably the number one reason some will even see the movie.
If audiences show up for the new Stephen King movie in a similar way as they did for Anyone But You or Twisters, the film will be a runaway success story. It’ll cement Powell’s place as a modern A-list star and put The Running Man on track to be one of the author’s highest-grossing film adaptations.
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