Glen Powell and Richard Linklater struck gold with their acting, directing, and co-written screenplay for Hit Man, which is a great reminder to watch their often-forgotten collaboration from 2016. Boasting an incredible 96% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Glen Powell leads the cast of Hit Man as Gary Johnson, a psychology professor who also works as a fake undercover hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. However, his experimental assassin aliases become complicated when, as “Ron,” he falls in love with a would-be “client” named Madison (Adria Arjona).

Now tying Top Gun: Maverick as Glen Powell’s highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes (Richard Linklater’s is still Before Sunrise at 100%), Hit Man is a resounding success for the actor-director duo on Netflix. Not only has Hit Man dominated the top 10 trending movies section since its release on June 7, but it’s also made the demand for similar romantic comedies even greater. While Powell and Linklater don’t have another movie together lined up after Hit Man, they already have a fitting movie collaboration from eight years ago that deserves far more attention than it received upon release.

Glen Powell & Richard Linklater’s Movie Everybody Wants Some Is The Perfect Watch After Hit Man

Powell & Linklater’s 2016 hangout movie is the perfect watch after Hit Man

After Hit Man, another movie to watch that captures Glen Powell and Richard Linklater’s collaborative charm is the comedy Everybody Wants Some from 2016. Described as a “spiritual successor” Linklater’s 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some follows a 1980 college baseball team from the day they move into their off-campus house until the first day of classes begin. Highlighting yet again how Linklater excels as the master of the hangout movie, Everybody Wants Some holds an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sadly, the film bombed in theaters, earning only $5.4 million against an estimated $10 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).

While Everybody Wants Some’s leading man was Blake Jenner, one of the greatest standout performances from the baseball team ensemble was by Glen Powell, who played upperclassman Walt “Finn” Finnegan. Both playing into and subverting the jock stereotype, Glen Powell’s charming role in the Paramount+-streaming Everybody Wants Some is a great example of why he’s so perfect as the chameleon Gary Johnson in Hit Man. In addition to both Hit Man and Everybody Want Some, Powell and Linklater have proven themselves to be an underrated actor-director duo with their other collaborations Fast Food Nation and Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood.

Why Everybody Wants Some Bombed At The Box Office In 2016 (Despite Great Reviews)

Everybody Wants Some only had a limited theatrical release

Everybody Wants Some was lauded as Linklater’s follow-up to his multi-generationally beloved film Dazed and Confused, so it was surprising that the 2016 movie underperformed commercially. However, Everybody Wants Some was only given a limited theatrical release, which included an initial 19-theater release before expanding to a maximum 454-theater release. For context, wide release box office hits from 2016 like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story released in 4,157 theaters and Finding Dory was shown in 4,305 theaters.

Considering Dazed and Confused was also a box office bomb, earning $8.1 million against an estimated $6.9 million budget, Everybody Wants Some’s commercial performance shouldn’t take away from its potential for long-term cultural success. The movie had VOD and Blu-ray releases shortly after its theatrical premiere, so it seems as if Paramount hadn’t intended for the movie to have legs at the box office. In reality, the only big blockbuster “hit” that Linklater has had is Jack Black’s School of Rock, which made $131 million. However, many are convinced that Hit Man could have fared well had it received a theatrical release rather than a Netflix-only exhibition.

Source: Box Office Mojo