Glen Powell Is The Savior Stephen King Movies Need After 2025

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As a big Stephen King fan, I was really excited about 2025! It looked like we were finally getting a ton of adaptations – four movies and two TV shows were planned. So far this year, we’ve gotten three of those movies: The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, and The Long Walk. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for the rest!

I really loved both of these films, and thankfully, critics and audiences seemed to agree! It’s a shame, though, that they didn’t become huge hits in theaters. The Monkey had a decent start and ultimately earned $68 million globally – which, considering it only cost $10 million to make, is actually a success! But The Life of Chuck really struggled, and only brought in $19 million worldwide, even after Neon tried to build buzz around it for almost a year. It’s a bit disappointing when good movies don’t find a wider audience.

Recently released, The Long Walk earned $11 million during its opening weekend and has since made a total of $54 million worldwide, with $35 million of that coming from domestic sales. Considering its $20 million production budget, the film has recouped its costs for Lionsgate.

While two out of three recent films performed well financially, none have become truly popular or maintained strong viewership over time. Fortunately, Stephen King has a promising new film starring Glen Powell expected to change that before the end of 2025.

Glen Powell’s The Running Man Has Strong Box Office Projections

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Glen Powell takes on the lead role of Ben Richards in the new film The Running Man, a reimagining of the Stephen King story originally starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987. Directed by Edgar Wright, known for Baby Driver, this is the fourth and final Stephen King adaptation coming out this year, and it’s expected to be a box office success.

Paramount has successfully generated excitement for the movie, thanks to compelling trailers released as part of its marketing campaign for The Running Man. Powell is also contributing by promoting the first season of Chad Powers, which is further increasing attention for his upcoming film.

All of this has allowed The Running Man to maintain positive momentum and strong expectations for how much money it will make in theaters. We’ll have more accurate predictions in the next week or two, but initial estimates are encouraging, though still somewhat varied.

According to the latest predictions from Box Office Theory, The Running Man is expected to earn $23 million in its opening weekend. They estimate the film could earn between $19 million and $28 million. If it hits that range, it would be the biggest opening weekend for a Stephen King adaptation since 2019, comparable to the $24 million debut of Pet Sematary.

Considering where the film is right now, this feels like a genuine and believable performance. There isn’t a strong critical opinion forming yet, so audience perception isn’t being heavily influenced. If the reviews are very positive, we could see much higher projections in the coming weeks, and a significant increase in numbers isn’t out of the question.

As a movie critic, I’ve been following the projections for The Running Man, and earlier this month, Box Office Pro dropped some interesting numbers. They’re predicting a potential $40 to $50 million opening weekend domestically – a seriously impressive feat, especially considering it’s going up against another new release, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. It’ll be fascinating to see if it can actually reach that level with that kind of competition.

I have to say, the predicted box office numbers seem a little hopeful. The first movie only made around $38 million when it was in theaters, so I’m wondering if this new goal is realistic. But if it is achievable, I truly believe it’s all down to Glen Powell – he’s the one who could make it happen.

Glen Powell Is A Big Reason Why The Running Man Could Be A Box Office Hit

With Hollywood constantly looking for its next big stars, 36-year-old actor Glen Powell is gaining prominence at just the right moment. He first started to get noticed almost ten years ago with roles in films like Everybody Wants Some!! and Set It Up, but he truly became a box office draw in 2022 with the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick.

Okay, I have to say, Glen Powell was amazing in Top Gun: Maverick! Seriously, alongside Tom Cruise and all the new pilots, he totally stood out as Hangman. And with the movie making $1.4 billion worldwide, so many more people got to see what a natural leading man he is. Now, everyone’s wondering if we’ll be seeing him take the lead in even more projects – and honestly, I really hope so!

So far, the movie has been a huge success. Glen Powell’s romantic comedy, Anyone But You, starring alongside Sydney Sweeney, was a surprising hit in 2023-2024. While it didn’t open with huge numbers, it continued to draw audiences, ultimately earning $220 million worldwide. This proves Powell isn’t just a star in action movies – he can also lead successful romantic comedies.

In 2024, he successfully combined all of these elements in the film Twisters. The movie surprised everyone by earning $81 million in its opening weekend – much higher than the predicted $50 million – and ultimately grossed an impressive $372 million in theaters.

Following a successful period, including the popularity of Hit Man, Powell became a highly sought-after actor in Hollywood. Throughout 2024, he signed on to many films, like The Running Man, believing his presence would attract audiences and boost ticket sales.

While the marketing for The Running Man hasn’t captured the same viral buzz as campaigns for films like Anyone But You and Twisters, Powell has consistently delivered successful movies, which gives people confidence in this one. He’s likely the main reason many will choose to see it.

If audiences respond to the new Stephen King movie like they did to recent hits like Anyone But You or Twisters, it’s likely to be a major success. This would establish the lead actor, Powell, as a top-tier star and position The Running Man as one of King’s most profitable movie adaptations ever.

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2025-11-01 02:11