There is little doubt that Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest stars that Hollywood has on offer. The Marvel’s Deadpool and Wrexham AFC owner has starred in a plethora of hit projects such as Free Guy and Detective Pikachu, but is currently facing a bit of a stutter, with the release of Paramount Pictures’ IF, which has till date made just over $104 million, against a budget of $110 million.
The John Krasinski offering has thus far failed to make an impact and boasts of a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While there may be plenty of reasons why the movie has failed to even break even thus far, one fan recently claimed on Twitter that it might have something to do with the ‘movie fatigue’ that is currently afflicting theatre audiences. The fan suggested that the performance of IF at the box office might simply be down to the fact that a number of films from mainstream franchises have been released in recent months.
However, as another movie fanatic was quick to point out, multiple major-franchise iterations have also already done exceedingly well at the box office in 2024, shutting down any arguments of IF’s lack of success being down to ‘movie fatigue.’
Unlike IF, multiple major movies have already broken the box office in 2024
The user, @jessehawken, referenced a range of recent releases as examples, claiming that the likes of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Garfield, The Fall Guy, and IF might all be victims of movie fatigue. The user suggested that too many mainstream franchise releases means that the audience has simply grown a bit saturated, and needs a break from theatres. That would mean IF’s lack of box-office collection is not down to its quality, but rather the timing of its release.
Why ignore that Dune 2, Kung Fu Panda 4, Godzilla x Kong and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes came out this year? Like really recently? There are major ongoing issues facing theater attendance but could it be that the May movies just haven’t been big draws and Deadpool will be? https://t.co/cA3eL4pT6H
— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) May 26, 2024
However, another user., @TheEricGoldman, was quick to point out that this apparent ‘movie fatigue’ only seems to have struck certain movies in 2024. The user talked about how movies such as Dune 2 ($711 million), Kung Fu Panda 4 ($539 million), Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ($302 million), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($524 million) have all made eye-watering figures at the box office already. (Box Office Mojo)
This, as the user rightfully points out, has come hand-in-hand with the few mainstream movies failing to make a similar impact, which unfortunately also includes Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski’s IF.
So what does the failure of IF, and other mainstream movies mean?
Well, the fan had initially suggested Deadpool & Wolverine might also meet the same fate as IF, simply because both the projects star Ryan Reynolds. However, Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most-anticipated projects of 2024, and has a range of things working for it, in addition to Ryan Reynolds. The fact that the movie sees the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and is set to initiate the integration of mainstream mutant characters into the MCU means that Deadpool & Wolverine looks destined for success.
However, the recent data does not prove that moviegoers are going through some kind of fatigue or saturation. That cannot co-exist with the kind of earnings that movies such as Dune 2 and The New Empire have managed in 2024, across the world. It might simply suggest that the audience is looking to only spend their time and money on quality movies.
Furthermore, barring The Fall Guy and Furiosa, the latter of which is still in its initial run, there appears to be something else common among the movies that have not done well, and those that have indeed proved to be a success at the box office. The ones that did well, were genuinely good watches, something which may, or may not be true about the ones that did not.
IF is currently playing in theaters, and released earlier this month, on May 17th, across the US.
