“The Running Man” fails despite its star cast and Stephen King template. The reasons for the reboot debacle.
The reboot of “The Running Man” cost Paramount $110 million – and still flopped at the box office. The film only grossed $17 million in America and $28.2 million worldwide.
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Unexpected competition
As Deadline reported, “The Running Man” was overwhelmed by Lionsgate’s No. 1 debut with “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” This grossed $21.3 million domestically and $75.5 million worldwide.
“The Running Man” seemed to have good prospects: young star Glen Powell is part of the cast, and Edgar Wright, director of “Baby Driver,” directed the new adaptation and co-wrote the script. So why did the reboot fail commercially?
Problem: change of leadership
“Deadline” attributes the failure to the change in leadership at Paramount, where David Ellison is now at the helm – a transition that probably disrupted ongoing marketing processes. Running Man, which was greenlit under the previous leadership of Brian Robbins, suffered another setback when a marketing shakeup occurred in the fall and Marc Weinstock, head of global distribution and marketing, left the company, according to the report.
New head of marketing and internal uncertainties
The new department head Josh Goldstine didn’t take office until October 15th, a month before the film’s release. During this transition period, Deadline sources said there was a lot of uncertainty in the marketing department, especially as Paramount considered job cuts. “Deadline” suspects that employees waited for Goldstine to start working before the final phase of the campaign was implemented.
Film, template and cast
The Running Man is a 2025 dystopian action thriller film produced and directed by Edgar Wright. The screenplay is by Wright and Michael Bacall. The film is the second adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel Manhunt, following the 1987 version. The cast includes Glen Powell in the lead role, as well as William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin.
Better than the original?
The film received mixed reviews, with many calling it an improvement over the first installment.
Watch the trailer here:
The plot
The film is all about a deadly game: in order to save his sick daughter, protagonist Ben Richards takes part in the brutal game show “The Running Man”, in which he is hunted by professional killers, led by Evan McCone. Richards previously worked at a club after losing his jobs several times. Now he and other participants have to survive 30 days to become millionaires.
King’s novel Manhunt, which he wrote almost 40 years ago under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, is set in 2025.