How The Running Man’s Glen Powell missed Hollywood’s top spot. for now
Actor Glen Powell has faced a new hurdle in his way to rise in Hollywood as his new film ‘The Running Man’ has lost the box office race to ‘Now You See Me’ and is earning mixed reviews, raising questions about his project choices.
For years, Glen Powell has been counted among Hollywood’s “Next Big Thing”, the man all set to take the top spot as the industry’s leading man. With Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt aging into “legacy icon” territory, and Leonardo DiCaprio increasingly moving toward passion projects rather than mainstream blockbusters, the field is wide open for a fresh, magnetic star to dominate.
Powell seemed an obvious choice. He has the classic movie-star looks, charisma, comedic timing, dramatic range, and an ever-growing fan base that already treats him like a major player. Yet, despite all the ingredients, he’s missing the magical thing: the right project.
This week’s box office results made that point harder.
When ‘The Running Man’, Powell’s latest big bet, debuted on the same day as ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’, the expectation was simple: a tight race. At worst, a respectable second place for Powell’s film followed by a close finish – after all, the multistarrer ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ is the latest release in a thriller franchise that has been popular globally since its launch. Powell may still prove his bankability with ‘The Running Man’. Instead, ‘The Running Man’ lost the battle entirely and was dragged along with a trail of mixed-to-shoulder-to-the-shoulder reviews, which immediately fizzled out from the surrounding hype.
And suddenly Hollywood’s golden boy of “almost superstardom” is, well, still almost there.
always one hit away
Powell’s advancement has felt like one long-running teaser trailer. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ proved he could steal scenes with literal symbols. ‘Anyone But You’ proved he could deliver a romantic comedy and ignite a cultural moment with nothing more than a cheeky smile and shirtless beach scenes. ‘Devotion’ showed he could handle the emotional weight.
but none of these were He The role, the career-defining, star-cementing moment that pulls an actor into Hollywood’s top class. Instead, Powell’s filmography reads like a series of “solid but not very seismic” choices. Projects that seem exciting but stall somewhere in the middle. Movies that have potential but not cultural staying power.
‘The Running Man’ was supposed to be a swing. A big one. A remake with generational name value, a strong action plot and a chance to show that it can carry a blockbuster on its shoulders.
Instead, it became the latest example of Powell’s tendency to get the instincts right, but the script wrong.
unsigned star
Powell has range, no one questions that part. But Hollywood isn’t just about talent. It’s about identity.
Ryan Gosling replaced the “mysterious weird-ass-heartthrob”. Keanu Reeves owns his action mystique. Michael B. The reputation in Jordan is patience. Zendaya has fashion-forward emotional gravitas.
Meanwhile, Powell feels like he is playing every position on the field. Commendable? Absolutely. strategic? Not enough. Without a signature lane, audiences don’t know what to expect from him, and studios don’t know what to build around him.
And this is where the pace slips.
The bus hasn’t gone, it’s waiting at the wrong stop
Here’s the comforting truth: Glen Powell hasn’t lost his shot. not even close. Hollywood wants him to move on. The audience already likes him. The industry void is still open for a new leading man.
But ‘The Running Man’ reveals a pattern not of failure, but of misalignment. He is a star choosing projects that do not match the story around him.
Powell is not fading. He’s just wandering around. Hovering. Waiting for that one role that finally aligns their talents with their trajectory.
When does he choose it? Oh, he will fly high.
He just needs a film worthy of the star that everyone is convinced he can do.