Stephen King’s $110 Million Sci-Fi Bomb Quickly Redeems Itself on Streaming

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Stephen King as Shopkeeper sipping from a straw in IT Chapter 2.

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

When you’ve been inspiring movies and TV shows as long as Stephen King has, it’s only natural that there’s going to be some misses mixed in with the hits. Late last year, one of King’s biggest financial misfires came in the form of The Running Man, the Glen Powell-starring remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 film of the same name. After failing spectacularly at the box office, The Running Man debuted on Paramount+ at the start of this week, and it’s quickly become one of the platform’s most popular movies. Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo also star in the sci-fi thriller.

The Running Man was met with a somewhat positive reception, but it wasn’t enough to fill seats at the theater. The film earned scores of 63% from critics and 78% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and while these are both better than the 1987 original, many fans claim to still prefer Schwarzenegger’s vision to Powell’s. Paramount reportedly spent just over $100 million on the making of The Running Man, which left the film with a break-even point of over $200 million. Unfortunately for the studio, it left theaters after grossing only $68 million at the box office. It’s one of the biggest sci-fi bombs in recent years.

Edgar Wright wrote the script for The Running Man remake with Michael Bacall, and Wright also stepped behind the camera to direct the film. The Running Man is Wright’s first film since 2021, when he worked with Anya Taylor-Joy on Last Night in Soho, the horror film that also stars Matt Smith. Wright is best known for his work on Baby Driver (2017) and also for directing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010).

When Does Glen Powell’s Next Movie Come Out?

Powell’s next movie comes in the form of How to Make a Killing, which also features his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Ed Harris, along with Margaret Qualley. The A24-backed feature will be released in theaters on February 20, and it comes from writer/director John Patton Ford. Powell first burst onto the scene a few years ago with the aforementioned Top Gun sequel, and he’s had a big few years between Hit Man and Twisters. The Running Man is his first true bump in the road on the path to stardom, and only time will tell how he responds.