Ryan Reynolds took to Twitter on Saturday and confirmed that Disney wants a Free Guy sequel.
“Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! #irony.” While a Free Guy sequel has not been confirmed by the official channels, 20th Century Studios retweeted the post, and director Shawn Levy responded with a simple “Yuuuuuuuup.”
Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! #irony pic.twitter.com/85mMxW4owx
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 14, 2021
Free Guy is the latest sci-fi comedy adventure from director Shawn Levy. After being pushed back due to COVID-19, the film was released to a surprising $28.4 million opening weekend. Unlike other films released this year, such as The Suicide Squad and In the Heights, that were available on streaming sites like HBO Max at no additional fee, Free Guy is playing exclusively in theaters for its first 45 days.
Industry analyst, Jeff Bock, believes that the 45-day theater release has helped with adding a few million dollars to box office revenues. However, Bock doesn’t think that is the sole reason for the massive turnout.
“Ryan Reynolds is a draw in the right vehicle,” Bock said. “It was a lighthearted summer movie that was made for general audiences.”
The film is Disney’s first live-action release in three years that isn’t a sequel or already connected to a franchise. A Free Guy sequel could mean a new family-friendly franchise for Disney and 20th Century.
Levy has been candid with the challenges that he faced when trying to get the movie made. He expressed his concern that openly mocking corporations wouldn’t sit well with Disney in a recent interview.
“Disney allowed us to open our very first trailer for Free Guy with a joke about ‘the studio that brought you Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, comes…wait for it…a new movie!” Levy said. “At the time, that was a pretty audacious joke. We realized that Disney was willing to be in on the joke to avoid being the butt of the joke.”
Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds, is now playing in theaters.
