How Much Would Road House 2024 Have Made At The Box Office If It Released In Theaters?

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake had a controversial streaming-only release, and it begs the question of how much the movie could have made if it was released in theaters. The Road House remake has had two major controversies surrounding its development, with one of the biggest centering on the format it was released in. Director Doug Liman intended to boycott Road House‘s streaming-only release, though he later reversed that decision.

Despite its streaming-only release, Road House has received massive viewership since it debuted on Amazon Prime Video. There were several reasons for Road House‘s success, ranging from Post Malone’s cameo in Road House to the satisfying ending of Road House. Because of its success on streaming, a natural question arises: how would the Road House remake have done with a theatrical release? There are several factors that would have gone into its box office performance, but there are also ways to estimate about how much money Road House could have made.

How Much The Original Road House Movie Made

The original serves as a good benchmark for how the remake could have done

One of the best benchmarks to compare the Road House remake to is the original Patrick Swayze version. The original Road House was poorly received by critics when it first came out, but it had a pretty solid box office return. Road House made $30 million domestically in theaters in 1989, which, adjusted for inflation, is equivalent to about $75 million today (via Box Office Mojo). There aren’t official statistics about how much it made internationally, but if it was similar to its domestic performance, Road House could have made about $150 million adjusted for inflation.

What Other Action Movies Suggest About Road House’s Remake

Road House likely would have been an average release for the genre

The original Road House is a good benchmark, but it was released in 1989, which was a very different time in terms of how action movies performed at the box office. It’s also useful, then, to compare the remake to more recent examples of the action genre. One of the best and most recent movies that Road House is similar to is The Beekeeper, which made $152 million worldwide. The Beekeeper had similar star power to Road House, as it featured Jason Statham, but it was also an original film, whereas Road House continued an existing franchise, so it isn’t a perfect comparison.

For action franchises, there are some good recent examples that give very different ideas of how Road House could have been received. The Equalizer 3 made $191 million, though that movie likely would have outperformed Road House both due to Denzel Washington’s higher popularity in comparison to Gyllenhaal and because it’s a more direct continuation of its franchise. On the other hand, Road House would likely have done better than recent bombs like Expend4bles, which only earned about $38 million. The box office performances of recent action movies seem to indicate that Road House would have been just about average for the genre, around $150 million.

Jake Gyllenhaal Hasn’t Had A Big Box Office Hit In Years (Outside The MCU)

His past films are usually critical successes that do alright at the box office

One of the main driving forces in box office success is how much star power a film has, and there’s a problem with Jake Gyllenhaal’s popularity. While he is a prominent, well-known actor, his movies often don’t bring in wide audiences. Gyllenhaal’s most financially successful movie in recent years, by far, was Spider-Man: Far From Home. Gyllenhaal wasn’t the main factor in that movie’s success, though, as it was bolstered by Tom Holland’s popularity and the fact that it was a major release for the MCU.

Part of the problem with Gyllenhaal’s ability to draw in crowds comes from the types of movies he tends to make. The bulk of his filmography has come from critically acclaimed films like Nightcrawler and Prisoners, but they often didn’t find as much success with audiences as they did with critics. Gyllenhaal has been making more action films lately, such as Ambulance, but those have also struggled at the box office. While Gyllenhaal’s involvement wouldn’t guarantee Road House‘s box office success, it had wider appeal than the ones he typically makes, which could have given it a boost in theaters.

Road House’s Budget Would’ve Been Different If It Had A Theatrical Release

It would have received $25 million less for a theaterical release

If Road House had been released in theaters, it wouldn’t have just changed how much money the movie made, it also would have changed how much it started out with. According to Variety, the budget for Road House depended on what format it was released in, as it would have received only $60 million for a theatrical cut in comparison to the $85 million for the streaming release it ended up being. That would have significantly changed the movie in some way, whether that was not being able to afford Conor McGregor’s salary for Road House or not being able to include some of its CGI.

The smaller budget wouldn’t have been a complete disadvantage, though. At a $60 million budget, Road House would have only needed to make about $150 million to become profitable. As shown both by the original Road House and other, more recent action movies, that figure would have been entirely possible for its theatrical run. It would have been a slim margin to become profitable, though, which means Road House would have had to get the perfect release date.

Road House’s Remake Would’ve Needed A Different Release Date For Theaters

It would have had to find space in a crowded action release schedule

Road House couldn’t have kept the same release date of March 21 if it had been released in theaters. That was just one day away from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s release date, and the competition would have hurt both of their box office performances. Road House likely couldn’t have been pushed further back, as April has several high-profile action movies like Monkey Man and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare set to be released. Perhaps the best option would have been to release it after Dune: Part Two and market it as a lighter, more fun and action-packed alternative.

Road House’s Remake Likely Would’ve Been A Theatrical Success, But It Worked Out On Streaming

Streaming was probably the best option, given its huge recent popularity

With the right marketing and release date, Road House would likely have had an average, fairly successful theatrical release of about $150 million. A lot of things would have had to go right, though, and it could have just as easily been a box office disappointment. Because of that, a streaming-only release might have been the best option for Road House. Streaming opened up a bigger budget, made the movie more accessible to audiences, eliminated the release date problem, and made audiences more willing to accept slightly lower quality. All of those factors probably helped Road House succeed online, even if it could also have thrived in theaters.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Variety