Stephen King’s Worst Hit Outperforms Glen Powell’s Latest Remake in Box Office
Edgar Wright’s latest adaptation, The Running Man, is struggling at the box office. The film is projected to fall short of the $100 million mark globally, despite a $110 million production budget. Although it garnered moderately positive reviews, this was insufficient to attract substantial audiences. The Running Man, based on a novel by Stephen King written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, has not managed to eclipse the performance of another recent adaptation, The Long Walk.
Box Office Performance of The Running Man
The Running Man was released after The Long Walk, which shares similar themes and cost just $20 million to produce. This makes The Running Man’s financial plight more pronounced. For comparison, The Dark Tower, another King adaptation, grossed about $115 million globally against a budget of roughly $65 million. Despite its financial success, The Dark Tower was heavily criticized and currently holds a low score of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critical Reception
- The Running Man holds a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- The critics describe it as, “Spiritedly sprinting through grim source material.”
- The film is noted to not meet the high expectations set by Edgar Wright’s previous work in inventive action cinema.
Director and Future Projects
Edgar Wright’s previous film, Last Night in Soho, similarly performed poorly, making only $23 million globally against a budget close to $45 million. The director is known for his innovative style, yet his last two projects have struggled at the box office.
Meanwhile, Glen Powell, who stars in The Running Man, has several upcoming projects. He will next appear in the A24 black comedy How to Make a Killing and a mysterious new film by J.J. Abrams set to release on November 14, 2025.
Conclusion
As Wright navigates a second consecutive box office disappointment, Glen Powell’s aspirations for stardom may need more time to materialize. The Running Man’s underwhelming performance highlights the challenges of adapting Stephen King’s works in today’s competitive cinematic landscape.
