The news that the Ryan Gosling vehicle The Fall Guy underperformed at the box office is bad for the star’s upcoming collaboration with Barbie co-star Margot Robbie. Ryan Gosling might be one of the most acclaimed A-list stars of his generation, but the actor’s box office performance has been surprisingly uneven throughout his career. Hits like Drive, La La Land, and Crazy Stupid Love proved that Gosling can take a low or mid-budget movie and make it a massive blockbuster. However, 2018’s First Man, 2017’s Blade Runner 2049, and 2016’s underrated cult classic The Nice Guys all underperformed.

Even though The Nice Guys is one of Gosling’s best movies, the buddy cop comedy failed to win over audiences upon release. Similarly, 2024’s The Fall Guy saw the star venture into the world of action comedy once again and this effort also fell flat with audiences. Although the charming fusion of action and romantic comedy impressed reviewers, The Fall Guy’s box office performance left a lot to be desired. The movie earned only $106 million on a budget of over $125 million, and this doesn’t bode well for the next major movie on the star’s slate.

The Fall Guy’s Box Office Disappointment Makes Ryan Gosling’s Ocean’s Prequel Riskier

2024’s Action Comedy Proved Ryan Gosling’s Box Office Appeal Isn’t Bulletproof

Despite The Fall Guy ending its opening weekend with a meager $28 million, Gosling’s next big movie will see the star return to yet another franchise that blends action, comedy, and romance. Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Gosling are set to reunite for an Ocean’s 11 prequel, but it is not yet clear if this upcoming release will replicate the runaway box office success of Barbie. Robbie’s first collaboration with Gosling was the biggest movie of 2023, proving a massive hit with critics and audiences alike, but Gosling couldn’t parlay this success into a strong opening weekend for The Fall Guy.

If Gosling couldn’t make The Fall Guy a big hit, it is tough to see his appeal working for this Ocean’s 11 franchise prequel. Although 2018’s Ocean’s 8 did do well at the box office, that gender-flipped sequel had both a starry cast and a new angle working in its favor. Gosling and Robbie’s Ocean’s 11 prequel might reveal a similarly subversive re-imagining of the franchise, but the underperformance of The Fall Guy isn’t promising for the movie’s future. Meanwhile, Robbie’s track record isn’t completely clean either. Both Amsterdam and Babylon flopped disastrously the year before Barbie saved Robbie’s reputation.

The Ocean’s Prequel Will Show The True Impact Of Barbie’s $1.4 Billion Box Office

Gosling and Robbie’s Combined Appeal Will Be Tested By The Ocean’s Prequel

Although Barbie’s success was historically huge, the upcoming Ocean’s 11 prequel will be a major test of Robbie and Gosling’s appeal as a duo. The movie’s performance will clarify whether viewers want to see more of their shared chemistry or if the world just wants another Barbie movie specifically. It is tough to see how Barbie’s broad, colorful comedy would translate to the Ocean’s 11 franchise’s slick, suave world, but Robbie and Gosling are versatile enough to pull off such a switch. After The Fall Guy’s underperformance, the question is whether audiences are interested in what the Barbie duo are selling.