The Naked Gunis on track to set a major box office record. The 2025 movie is a reboot and legacy sequel that stars Liam Neeson as the wacky cop Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the character played by Leslie Nielsen in the 1982 parody seriesPolice Squad!and the originalNaked Gunmovie trilogy that spun off from it.
2025’sThe Naked Gunwas directed by Akiva Schaffer from a script he wrote with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. It marks Liam Neeson’s first time toplining a comedy movie since 2020’sMade in Italy, a dramedy in which he co-starred with his son, Micheál Richardson. PerDeadline, as of Saturday morning,The Naked Gunis projected to debut with a total of $16.5 millionat the domestic box office, premiering at No. 3 behindThe Bad Guys 2andThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
If it does indeed hit that number by the end of Sunday, this will set a record for the star that has not been matched in a decade. It is poised to earnthe best opening weekend for a Liam Neeson-led movie since 2015, whenTaken 3debuted with $39.2 million.
What This Means For The Naked Gun
A Significant Milestone Among Recent Films Starring Liam Neeson
It is important to note that this record forLiam Neeson moviesdoes not include projects in which he held a supporting role or appeared in a cameo, such asStar Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker(which had a $177.4 million debut), in which he had a small voice role reprising the character of Quin-Gon Jinn.
This isa major turnaround for movies featuring Liam Neeson in the lead role, which haven’t consistently had openings this solid since the early 2010s with titles such asNon-Stop($28.9 million),Taken 2($49.5 million),Unknown($21.8 million), andThe Grey($19.7 million).
Our Take On The Naked Gun Record
Neeson’s Next Best Move Might Be Starring In More Comedies
The fact that the newLiam Neeson comedy moviehas set this record for the star could indicate thathe could be in for another major career shift. While the original 2008 smash hitTakenlaunched him as an action star, his post-2015 action movies, includingThe CommuterandCold Pursuit, have seen diminishing returns.
The fact thatThe Naked Gunhas surpassed them could mean that Neeson’s next best move would be to star in more comedies, harnessing the comic chops that he has displayed in this new reboot, as well as in cameo roles in recent comedies such asTed 2,Anchorman 2, andDaddy’s Home 2.
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