Ryan Reynolds has confirmed Disney is interested in making a Free Guy sequel in one of his trademark acerbic tweets. Free Guy hit cinemas this Friday to rave reviews, and a surprisingly healthy taking at the box office, so it’s unsurprising that the House of Mouse is interested in exploring a potential sequel.
Reynolds shared the news on Twitter and couldn’t help but point out the irony that Disney wanted to turn his original IP movie into a franchise. “Aaaannnnd after 3 years [of] messaging Free Guy as an original IP movie,” the Deadpool star tweeted. “Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! Irony.”
It’s worth noting that Disney has not officially greenlit a Free Guy sequel, although that’s not stopped the cast and crew from teasing one. Shawn Levy quote tweeted Reynolds’ original tweet adding a “Yuuuuuuuup.” Meanwhile, Joe Keery, who plays Keys in the adventure movie, told GamesRadar: “It would be kind of cool if maybe the second one was like a darker spin on it. Maybe Guy isn’t all that good after all or something? That’s my pitch.”
Original IP’s are becoming something of a rarity in Hollywood these days. The increased competitiveness of the theatrical landscape, and the pressure streaming services put on the industry, mean that the great and good of Tinsel Town are pretty risk-averse. This has led to more sequels, adaptations of established IP, and some genres being shut out entirely because they’re deemed too risky.
Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! #irony pic.twitter.com/85mMxW4owx
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 14, 2021
Free Guy has taken in an impressive $28.4 million over the weekend – for comparison, The Suicide Squad took in $26.2 million in its opening weekend – way above its predicted $15-19 million opening. While there are probably numerous reasons for the comedy movie’s success, theatre owners are likely to point to the fact this is one of the few movies that hasn’t had a day-and-date release on streaming at the same time it opened in theatres.
Although the theatrical landscape is relatively unstable at the moment (Venom 2 was delayed last week as Covid-19 infections surged in the US), Free Guy’s success bodes well for cinema owners who are arguing that the theatrical model is the key to Hollywood recovering from the pandemic.
Box office analysts will undoubtedly have a keen eye on how Shang-Chi performs in the coming weeks, as it’s the first big Marvel Cinematic Universe film to eschew Disney Plus Premier Access, instead of opting for a 45-day theatrical exclusive window.
Free Guy is in cinemas now.