(Image courtesy of A24 and Skydance Media)
Glen Powell has become one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars in recent years. After "Top Gun: Maverick" put him on the map, "Anyone but You," "Twisters" and "Hit Man" all proved popular with audiences, cementing his status as one of his generation's new A-list leading men.
But few careers are smooth sailing all the way. Powell's late-2025 release "The Running Man" and the early-2026 film "How to Make a Killing" both became money-losing box-office disappointments. The former cost roughly $100 million to produce but grossed just $69.4 million worldwide. Although the latter carried a much leaner budget of about $15 million, its $21.6 million haul still failed to turn a profit after theaters took their cut and additional marketing expenses were factored in.
(Image courtesy of Esquire)
In a recent interview with "Esquire," Powell opened up about what went wrong with both films. Pointing to turmoil surrounding the Paramount Pictures-Skydance Media merger, he said, "They let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out in the middle of a merger." Powell suggested that the layoffs left "The Running Man" without the campaign it needed to generate enough audience interest.
As for "How to Make a Killing," Powell said the film never had enough time to mount a proper promotional push: "That movie had a lot of problems, and we simply didn't have enough time to get it right. Looking back, it taught me that some things don't need to be rushed."
via： Esquire