The Most Beloved Stephen King Movie Ever Gets Overtaken by ’The Running Man’ at the Box Office

The Most Beloved Stephen King Movie Ever Gets Overtaken by ’The Running Man’ at the Box Office Glen Powell as Ben Richards running on a treadmill in The Running Man (2025).Image via Paramount Pictures By  Rahul Malhotra Published 42 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Director Edgar Wright appears to have struck out for the second time in a row, with arguably his most mainstream film yet struggling at the box office. The Running Man fell short of expectations in its debut weekend, and will likely conclude its run without having recovered its reported $110 million budget — the biggest that Wright has ever worked with. It's a disappointing end to the year for writer Stephen King, whose work inspired numerous films and shows in 2025, with most of them turning out to be quite successful. That said, The Running Man has now overtaken one of the most beloved adaptations of the author's work, The Shawshank Redemption.

Yes, the acclaimed prison drama was released over three decades ago. And yes, it was considered a flop back then. However, going by pure numbers, The Running Man's $28.7 million running domestic haul puts it ahead of the $28.3 million that The Shawshank Redemption grossed in 1994. Although the acclaimed prison movie was seen as a flop at the time, it became a critical darling, earning seven Oscar nominations. The Shawshank Redemption became a home video hit, gaining more popularity over the years, dominating the VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming eras. It's the number one entry on IMDb's list of the top 250 movies ever made, and its subsequent re-releases have pushed its global box office past $70 million.

Stephen King Has Had a Big 2025

The Running Man might not hit that number; the movie is currently sitting at $50 million worldwide. It's yet to overtake both The Long Walk and The Monkey, two other King adaptations that were released earlier this year. Wright's last film was the horror flop Last Night in Soho, which made a little over $20 million worldwide against a reported budget of $43 million. His biggest hit remains Baby Driver, which grossed nearly $230 million globally in 2017, after he'd dropped out of directing Ant-Man for Marvel at the last minute. King's fans can tune in to It: Welcome to Derry, which is airing on HBO Max. The show serves as a prequel to his two biggest adaptations, It and It: Chapter Two. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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The Running Man

Like Follow Followed Science Fiction Thriller Action Release Date November 14, 2025 Director Edgar Wright Writers Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall, Stephen King Producers George Linder, Nira Park, Simon Kinberg

Cast

See All

• Glen Powell Ben Richards
• Josh Brolin Dan Killian

A man competes in a game show where killers hunt contestants as they move freely around the world. This movie, directed by Edgar Wright, is the second big-screen adaptation of the novel written by Stephen King under his pen name, Richard Bachman.

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