‘The Naked Gun’ Scores One of the Decade’s Biggest Comedy Box Office Openings
Paramount’s slapstick comedy The Naked Gun is off to a strong start at the box office. The movie opened in third place in North America, earning $17 million from 3,344 theaters, which was right on target with predictions.
Internationally, it brought in another $11.5 million, giving it a worldwide total of $28.5 million so far. With a production budget of $42 million, it’s a promising beginning, especially considering how rare theatrical comedies have become.
Directed by Akiva Schaffer, known for his work with The Lonely Island, the film brings back the absurd, fast-paced humor of the original Naked Gun trilogy. This time, Liam Neeson steps into the role of bumbling Los Angeles police officer Frank Drebin Jr., delivering a mix of seriousness and silliness that critics are loving.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 207 reviews are positive. The site’s consensus reads: “With Liam Neeson’s gravelly gravitas proving to be a perfect fit for Frank Drebin’s deadpan buffoonery, The Naked Gun revives the original trilogy’s daffy sense of humor like it never went out of style.” Metacritic gives it a score of 75 out of 100, while CinemaScore audiences graded it an “A-.”
Comedy at the box office has struggled for years, according to David A. Gross, a film consultant who tracks industry trends. Theatrical comedies began to fade in the 2010s, and now the genre earns less than half of what it used to. The Naked Gun is one of only a handful of pure comedies to hit theaters this year, with Disney’s Freakier Friday arriving next weekend.
Producer Seth MacFarlane joked about the comedy drought during a Los Angeles screening. “For those of you who don’t remember the original ‘Naked Gun,’ there used to be these movies called comedies. It’s been so long since one came out that Paramount asked me to explain to you that it is supposed to be funny, just so you’re not confused.”
Streaming has kept comedy alive, with some titles finding big audiences online. For example, Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 became his most-watched film on Netflix, pulling in 47 million viewers in its first weekend.
To help promote The Naked Gun, Paramount released a mock public service announcement featuring Neeson himself. In it, he deadpans: “For the price of one movie ticket, you can help rescue a comedy and in the process you’ll get to share a smile, a laugh and even the occasional groan with the people in your very own community.”
Adding to the buzz is talk of a possible romance between Neeson and co-star Pamela Anderson, who’s enjoying renewed attention after her role in The Last Showgirl. If the box office keeps up, The Naked Gun could be one of the year’s surprise comedy hits.
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