Box Office: ‘Bad Guys 2’ Scores $2.6M in Previews, Liam Neeson’s ‘Naked Gun’ Loads Up With $1.6M
What better way to go out than to go out laughing.
Paramount’s acclaimed revival — starring opposite Pamela Anderson — started off its North American run with $1.6 million in Thursday previews that began at 7 p.m. local time. Tracking shows the comedy opening in the $15 million range domestically; based on advance ticket sales, stellar reviews and strong early audience scores, exhibitors think $20 million or more is possible for the weekend.
As fate would have it, Naked Gun is the last film that will be released by the current iteration of Paramount Pictures before David Ellison’s Skydance officially closes its $8 billion merger of Paramount Global on Aug. 7. Affable movie studio chief Brian Robbins — who has also been serving as one of the three interim CEOs of Paramount Global since sale talks began last year — intends to step down once Ellison takes control of the entertainment conglomerate and installs his executive team both in the C-suite and at Paramount Pictures, according to sources.
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The fourth installment in the long dormant Naked Gun franchise is produced by Seth MacFarlane and directed by Akiva Schaffer from a script he wrote with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. It opens 31 years after the threequel, 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, and 37 years after the first movie, Naked Gun: From the Films of Police Squad!, won over audiences in 1988.
“Nobody could accuse director Akiva Schaffer … and his co-writers or producer Seth MacFarlane of lacking affection for the material. That’s evident in the sweet homages to Nielsen and George Kennedy as Capt. Ed Hocken — O.J. Simpson not so much,” writes The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney in his review. “The filmmakers follow the formula to a T in this legacy sequel or reboot or whatever you want to call it, enlisting the sons of Drebin (Liam Neeson) and Hocken (Paul Walter Hauser) as the new Police Squad team to provide plot continuity.”
Pamela Anderson is on double duty this weekend between Naked Gun and the animated The Bad Guys 2, which is tracking to open to $20 million for Universal and DreamWorks Animation. The 2022 original film opened to $23 million domestically on its way to transforming into a sleeper hit and earning more than $250 million globally.
From franchise director Pierre Perifel and producer Damon Ross, Bad Guys 2 is likewise resonating with reviewers. Bad Guys 2, based on Aaron Blabey’s best-selling book series about a crackerjack crew of animal outlaws, sees the return of original voice stars Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos and Awkwafina, while series newcomers lending their vocal talent include Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Alex Borstein, Lilly Singh, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu and Danny Huston.
“Beginning with an elaborate caper and car chase through the streets of Cairo that would make Tom Cruise jealous, The Bad Guys 2 seeks to outshine the original at every turn. It smacks of overkill, but fortunately the film, smartly directed by Pierre Perifel, also features the same wit and charm that proved so appealing to youngsters and adults alike in the first movie,” writes THR critic Frank Scheck.
In the sequel, the newly-reformed crew of animals are trying their best to be good, but plans go awry when they come out of retirement to stop one more heist and encounter a new trio of masterminds known as “The Bad Girls,” who are voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova and Natasha Lyonne.
Each new film will have to contend with an already crowded marquee, led by Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps and /DC’s . Both films are managing to ward off the superhero fatigue curse that has plagued the .
Fantastic Four, which is heading into its second weekend, is expected to ward off the competition and stay atop the chart. Another new offering includes Neon’s buzzy horror-comedy Together, starring and Dave Franco.
“The bodily mutations in The Substance left you wanting more? Well, has Australian writer-director Michael Shanks got a movie for you, with more bone-crunching contortions, sticky goop and subcutaneous disturbance than you could dream of, writes THR‘s Rooney in his review.
