Ryan Gosling’s 126-minute action thriller goes big on Netflix — from the 'John Wick' creator

Not every film gets its due the first time round, but sometimes it only takes one streaming run for viewers to finally catch on. The Fall Guy, an action-comedy hybrid led by Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is turning heads on Netflix and picking up far more love now than it did in the cinema. And frankly, about time.

The Fall Guy, after bombing in cinemas, now ranks ninth worldwide on Netflix's Top 10 most-watched movies.

The Story Behind the Stunts

Based on the 1980s TV classic (which, let’s be honest, barely anyone under 40 remembers), The Fall Guy follows Gosling as Colt Seavers, a washed-up stuntman who’s traded life on set for a quieter existence. That is, until a pushy producer ropes him back into the fold for a new blockbuster entitled 'Metalstorm'—conveniently being directed by his ex, played by Blunt. It's all fairly meta, with the mismatched duo forced together again, and before you know it, Colt is flung headfirst into an over-the-top Hollywood mystery after the film’s star vanishes.

This is all a roundabout way for director David Leitch (the bloke behind John Wick, Deadpool 2 and Hobbs & Shaw) to stage set-piece after ludicrous set-piece, leaning heavily on tongue-in-cheek humour and Gosling’s apparently bottomless well of charm. In all honesty, Gosling’s turn as a slightly dim but dogged leading man might be his funniest work yet—he’s riffing so hard on the himbo persona it’s a wonder it took this long for someone to give him such a part.

Box Office Bust, Streaming Smash

Here’s where it gets a bit odd. The Fall Guy landed in May 2024, riding on the promise of stunts, self-parody and a big old slab of chemistry between its leads. But after a blink-and-you-miss-it theatrical run (barely a few weeks before it turned up online), the global box office tally stalled at $181 million. Which would be entirely decent... except the thing cost roughly $150 million to make, so the studio quickly wrote it off as a flop.

Critical notices were a different story. Rotten Tomatoes has it at a solid 81% for critics, 84% with viewers—numbers that put it higher than most recent big-budget fare. The problem was just no one paid to see it the first time.

Netflix, though, has given the movie its moment at last. The Fall Guy has climbed into the streamer’s global top 10, landing at number 9—no mean feat considering it’s fighting for attention with Netflix originals and plenty of ‘true story’ clickbait. Newer hits like The Last House and 72 Hours are still ahead, but Gosling’s turn as the bumbling but brilliant Colt is clearly getting a reappraisal.

Cast and Sequel Potential

• Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers
• Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno
• Supporting players filling out the increasingly chaotic ‘Metalstorm’ set

For anyone counting franchise potential: yes, it’s all there, and the film’s self-aware parody of action tropes would suit at least one sequel. No official word yet, but with the Netflix numbers looking this healthy, you’d be a fool to bet against it suddenly ‘finding’ its legs with the powers-that-be in the next year or two.