Jason Statham is one of the most prominent action stars working today. He has already had a film released this year, in the form of A Working Man. This crime thriller starred Statham as a retired Royal Marines Commando who now works a construction job, but has to rely on his past skillset in order to help rescue a missing girl. The movie saw Statham return to collaborate with director David Ayer, with whom he previously worked on The Beekeeper. The film was released in theaters on March 28 of this year.
Statham’s action career is not slowing down, as he has multiple projects in the works. The next release from the action star will be Mutiny, a Jean-François Richet (Plane) thriller about a man named Cole Reed who comes into an unfortunate situation when he sees his billionaire boss get murdered in front of him, and gets set up to take the blame for the crime. The movie is set for release at the top of next year, with a date set for January 9, 2025. While Mutiny‘s box office performance remains unknown, its release date sets it up for a better chance at success.
A Working Man Releasing In Theaters In Late March Was A Slight Risk & It Hasn’t Fully Paid Off
The Film Has Not Done As Well As Statham’s Previous Action Movie
A Working Man has been a good performer in some respects, but it has not reached nearly the same heights as some of Statham’s former work. The movie has currently made $98.7 million worldwide, which is respectable given its estimated $40 million budget. It opened at no. 1 in its $15.5 million opening weekend, and managed to stay in the top 5 the following weekend. While its inching close to the $100 million mark, the movie has made significantly less than Statham’s 2024 film The Beekeeper.
While there could be multiple contributing factors to A Working Man‘s lesser box office take home, the release date was definitely one causal element. The bridge from the end of March into early April consтιтutes part of the pre-summer movie season, a time of year when higher-profile тιтles start to be released. This year, A Working Man saw itself be shoved out of the no. 1 slot by A Minecraft Movie, which opened April 4 to kick off A Working Man‘s second weekend. So, even as a strong performer, A Working Man has had trouble keeping up.
Jason Statham’s Mutiny Is Releasing In January 2026, Copying The Success Of The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper Was Released On January 12, 2024
The Beekeeper, on the other hand, made $162.6 million over the course of its run. It chose a much earlier release date than A Working May, hitting theaters on January 12, 2024. What’s interesting about The Beekeeper‘s box office history is that it actually had a very similar opening weekend gross to A Working Man, making only $16.5 million. The big difference between the two Statham movies, however, is that The Beekeeper‘s January release meant that it did not have much other compeтιтion in subsequent weeks, thus managing to stay in the top 5 for six straight weeks in a row.
Mutiny will still have to be a strong entry into the Statham oeuvre to reach its full potential.
This movie’s history is very good news for Mutiny. Seemingly following The Beekeeper‘s example, Mutiny is slated to release during the second weekend of January. Mutiny does face a potential box office stumbling block within its first six weeks (the window that The Beekeeper stayed in the top 5), as the Chris Hemsworth-led thriller Crime 101 is slated for a February 13, 2026, release date. Still, its potential to succeed in January seems a lot more promising than the pre-summer release approach adopted by A Working Man.
Would An Earlier Release Date Have Helped A Working Man At The Box Office?
Its Release Date Doesn’t Tell The Full Story
A Working Man‘s release date didn’t stop the movie from performing admirably, but it certainly could have done better. An argument could be made that an earlier release date like The Beekeeper got could have benefited the film. January had some direct compeтιтion for A Working Man if it was released then, with Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and Mark Wahlberg’s Flight Risk both coming out and attracting the male-dominated crowds often ᴀssociated with R-rated action films. Statham’s movie could have had a tough time finding its audience with this compeтιтion.
Furthermore, A Working Man‘s reviews were significantly more mixed than The Beekeeper, scoring a 49% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, compared with The Beekeeper‘s 71%. This weaker response likely lowered the strength of A Working Man‘s word-of-mouth. So, while a January release date could have helped out, it would not have completely saved the movie. As such, Mutiny will still have to be a strong entry into the Statham oeuvre to reach its full potential.
