Wednesday, May 20, 2026

“Running Man” Starring Glen Powell, Directed by Edgar Wright, Opens to Disappointing Reviews: Will They Matter?

Share

I had high hopes for Edgar Wright’s revived “Running Man.”

After all, Wright is a top director and Glen Powell is the biggest new mainstream star in a long time.

But 71 reviews just got unleashed onto Rotten Tomatoes, and they aren’t encouraging.

Right now the score is 62%, right on the border of ‘rotten.’ It’s possible that number can be worked up to 70% but it’s certainly not what was hoped for.

Wright, whose “Baby Driver” is one of my favorite films, has never had a rating this low. He usually hits in the 90s. What could have gone wrong?

Powell has only been going up and up since Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some” in 2016. The lone exception was his romcom with Sydney Sweeney, “Anyone But You.” That one got a 53% from critics and turned into a box office hit.

Can Powell’s infectious grin get him out of this mess? Do the reviews matter? I guess we’ll find out on Thursday night when “Running Man” opens in previews.

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Read more

In Other News