The Naked Gun Becomes a Hit on Paramount+

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The movie is now a huge hit on streaming services, which is a great turnaround after its initial performance in theaters. This suggests it’s building a dedicated following, and there’s hope that will lead to a sequel being made.

This week, the movie is performing very well on Paramount+, hitting number one in the U.S. from October 1st to 4th. According to FlixPatrol, it did even better in Canada, staying at the top of the charts for five consecutive days. This positive reception aligns with its 88% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the strong reviews, the movie wasn’t a huge commercial success, earning $102 million at the box office against a $42 million production budget.

Reaching $100 million at the box office is a great achievement for the new *Naked Gun* movie, especially since it’s Liam Neeson’s first film in six years to do so. However, given its production budget, the earnings are still relatively modest. Generally, a movie needs to earn around $105 million – about 2.5 times its budget, considering marketing and distribution costs – just to break even, and more than three times its budget to actually turn a profit.

Despite the film’s recent release, producer Erica Huggins revealed they are already discussing the possibility of a sequel. In August, she mentioned that conversations had begun among the filmmakers, as well as with stars Pam Anderson and Liam Neeson, about potential storylines and future directions for the story. The writing team – Akiva Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand – are also involved in these early discussions.

The Naked Gun Reboot Replaced a Failed Fourth Installment

After a difficult 16-year journey, *The Naked Gun* was finally released. It originally started as a potential TV sequel to *Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult*, but those plans were dropped when Leslie Nielsen passed away. In 2013, a reboot with Ed Helms (from *The Office*) was considered, but Liam Neeson took over the role in 2021 when Seth MacFarlane became a producer. The producers felt Neeson was a better fit after seeing his audition.

According to Schaffer, they crafted a new five-minute scene by combining footage from the hospital interrogation with Kevin Durand and some of the humorous moments from the interrogation with Busta Rhymes. The scene ends with Liam Neeson’s character staring down the subdued criminal, warning him not to cross him, then breaking the fourth wall to address the camera. He directly challenges the Paramount executives responsible for approving the film, asking why they haven’t signed off on it yet and urging them to do so.

Neeson playfully broke character, joking to the crew, “Let me tell you something: make sure the budget includes adult diapers and cocaine, just in case any of you decide to visit the set.” Schaffer remembered that this unexpected comment actually worked really well. He explained that *The Naked Gun* aimed to feel like a combination of every police movie ever made, drawing strong influences from films like *Se7en* and *Basic Instinct*.

Liam Neeson recently told IGN that his famously dry delivery in the upcoming *Naked Gun* reboot wasn’t intentional. He revealed he reminded himself daily, ‘That’s why you were cast,’ to maintain that style. He also approached roles in *Life’s Too Short*, *The Lego Movie*, and *A Million Ways to Die in the West* with the same idea.

The Naked Gun is streaming on Paramount+.

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2025-10-05 22:08