Ryan Gosling’s says Angry Birds killed Nice Guys 2 — we have proof he’s wrong
A decade after Shane Black’s buddy cop comedy The Nice Guys hit theaters, Ryan Gosling has offered an explanation for why a sequel never materialized: The Angry Birds Movie.
In recent interviews, Gosling directly blamed the animated film for preventing a follow-up, citing the importance of opening weekend box office performance in sequel decisions. “So much of a sequel is decided by the opening weekend of a movie and we opened up against Angry Birds and Angry Birds just destroyed us,” he stated.
Both films were released on the same date: May 20, 2016. The timing proved problematic for the live-action comedy, as The Angry Birds Movie significantly outperformed The Nice Guys during their shared opening weekend.
However, Polygon questioned whether Gosling’s assertion fully explains the decade-long absence of The Nice Guys 2. While the box office loss to The Angry Birds Movie may have contributed to the decision against greenlighting a sequel, the outlet investigated whether opening weekend performance alone accounts for the lack of a follow-up. Polygon consulted industry professionals to examine whether Gosling’s explanation holds up to scrutiny or if other factors may have also played a role in preventing the sequel’s development.
Gosling’s comments highlight the competitive nature of theatrical releases and the significance of opening weekend performance in determining film franchise futures. Whether The Angry Birds Movie was truly the primary cause of The Nice Guys 2’s absence remains unclear, but the May 2016 box office clash represents a notable moment in Hollywood’s theatrical landscape.