Free Guy Tops the Box Office In Opening Weekend

Ryan Reynolds' latest film, Free Guy, takes the top spot at the box office this weekend. The box [...]

By Jamie Lovett - August 15, 2021 03:16 pm EDT

Ryan Reynolds' latest film, Free Guy, takes the top spot at the box office this weekend. The box office is, in general, seeing lower totals in recent weeks as coronavirus cases spike across the country due to the delta variant. As such, Free Guy wins the weekend with a relatively modest $28.4 million. That's still enough to beat fellow opener Don't Breathe 2, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Jungle Cruise in its third weekend, The Suicide Squad in its second weekend, and Black Widow in its sixth weekend. Free Guy has received strong reviews from critics. ComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgely gave the movie a 4 out of 5 in his review:

"It's the genuine human connection and optimistic outlook on life that make the Free Guy engine run, but that's not to downplay just how good a job this film does at bringing a video game to the screen. The gaming industry is explored in Free Guy almost as well as it is in Apple's Mythic Quest, while the in-game jokes also happen to land more often than not. Hollywood has proven time and again that filmmakers struggle with turning video game concepts into good movies, but the script from Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn puts enough care into both mediums to find success, while director Shawn Levy provides a steady hand to keep it from venturing too off-course."

What do you think of Free Guy topping the box office this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Free Guy is now playing in theaters. Keep reading to see the full list of top films at the box office this weekend.

1. Free Guy

Opening Weekend
Total: $28.4 million

When a bank teller discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game, he decides to become the hero of his own story -- one that he can rewrite himself. In a world where there's no limits, he's determined to save the day his way before it's too late, and maybe find a little romance with the coder who conceived him.

Free Guy is direct by Shawn Levy and written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Joe Keery.

2. Don't Breathe 2

don't breathe two trailer stephen lang — (Photo: SONY PICTURES)

Opening Weekend
Total: $10.6 million

A blind veteran must use his military training to save a young orphan from a group of thugs who break into his home.

Don't Breathe 2 is directed by Rodo Sayagues, from a screenplay by Fede Álvarez. The film stars Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, and Madelyn Grace.

3. Jungle Cruise

Week Three
Weekend: $9 million
Total: $82.1 million

Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his ramshackle boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal -- a discovery that will change the future of medicine.

Jungle Cruise, based on the Disney Parks attraction, is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Michael Green's screenplay. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti.

4. Respect

Opening Weekend
Total: $8.8 million

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career -- from a child singing in her father's church choir to her international superstardom -- it's the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.

Respect is directed by Liesl Tommy from a screenplay by Tracey Scott Wilson. TThe biopic stars Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan, and Mary J. Blige.

5. The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad movie 2021 — (Photo: DC / WB)

Week Two
Weekend: $7.7 million
Total: $42.9 million

The government sends the most dangerous supervillains in the world -- Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Harley Quinn and others -- to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Armed with high-tech weapons, they trek through the dangerous jungle on a search-and-destroy mission, with only Col. Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave.

The Suicide Squad is written and directed by James Gunn. The film stars Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Peter Capaldi.

6. Old

old movie 2021 cast m night shyamalan beach — (Photo: Universal Pictures)

Week Four
Weekend: $2.4 million
Total: $43 million

A thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly reducing their entire lives into a single day.

Old is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, inspired by the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters. The film's cast includes Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Alex Wolff, Abbey Lee, Aaron Pierre, Rufus Sewell, Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Embeth Davidtz, Emun Elliott, and Kathleen Chalfant.

7. Black Widow

new black widow poster — (Photo: Marvel Studios)

Week Six
Weekend: $2 million
Total: $178.1 million

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland, based on a screenplay by Eric Pearson. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz.

8. Stillwater

stillwater matt damon trailer — (Photo: FOCUS FEATURES)

Week Three
Weekend: $1.3 million
Total: $12.5 million

An American oil-rig roughneck travels to Marseille, France, to visit his estranged daughter, in prison for a murder she claims she didn't commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and a complicated legal system, he soon builds a new life for himself as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate her.

Stillwater is directed by Tom McCarthy, from a script he co-wrote with Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré. The film stars Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, and Abigail Breslin.

9. The Green Knight

the green knight dev patel explained featurette dev patel — (Photo: A24 Films)

Week Three
Weekend: $1.16 million
Total: $14.7 million

King Arthur's headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.

The Green Knight is written and directed by David Lowery, based on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The films tars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, and Ralph Ineson.

10. Space Jam: A New Legacy

space-jam-a-new-legacy-lebron-dunk — (Photo: Warner Bros.)

Week Five
Weekend: $1.115 million
Total: $68 million

Superstar LeBron James and his young son, Dom, get trapped in digital space by a rogue AI. To get home safely, LeBron teams up with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang for a high-stakes basketball game against the AI's digitized champions of the court -- a powered-up roster called the Goon Squad.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is directed by Michael D. Lee. The film stars LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Cedric Joe, with the voices of Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya.