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One of the underdog blockbusters of 2021 just got its first award nomination. Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds, has been nominated for best comedy at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Reynolds celebrated the news on Instagram when it first broke out.
“Free Guy – Nominated for BEST COMEDY by the Critics Choice Awards is an absolutely huge moment for this entire team,” Reynolds wrote alongside a poster for the film. “Congratulations to everyone, particularly my co-producer, director, friend and co-pilot. [Shawn Levy]His post garnered more than half a million likes and many comments, including some from famous friends and colleagues who congratulated him on the nomination.
“IT WAS A GREAT MOVIE,” commented one fan. Another wrote, “I absolutely love this movie, it’s definitely a new family favorite” with a heart eyes emoji. A third added: “I’m a gamer and I really enjoyed the movie, I hope you win!”
Free Guy had a long and difficult road to this success, as it was one of the most overdue films of the entire COVID-19 pandemic. It was filmed in May 2019 and released on July 3, 2020, so Reynolds and his co-stars began a press tour to promote the film in late 2019. Of course, when theaters closed in March 2020, they began. delays.
While other films saw hybrid releases on streaming services or simply tried their luck with partially filled theaters, Free Guy languished in limbo. Whenever a reminder of the film’s existence appeared on social media, users sarcastically wondered if the film actually existed or if it would ever see the light of day. It first moved to December 2020, then May 2021, and finally August 2021 when it actually hit theaters.
As with many other recent releases, Free Guy made the leap to streaming shortly after its impact on film wore off. It was released on video-on-demand services on September 28, 2021 for rental or purchase, and is now also available on DVD and Blu-ray. It will be available to stream on Disney + with a regular subscription starting February 23, 2022.
Commercially speaking, Free Guy at least exceeded its production budget at the box office, which makes it a relative success, especially considering the times. However, after growing weary of the film’s fruitless promotion, many fans and critics were shocked to find that they enjoyed Free Guy when they finally got to see it. Critical response has been colored by this air of pleasant surprise the entire time.
Free Guy is now available in digital stores for rent or purchase, and will be added to Disney + by the end of next month. The Critics’ Choice Awards have been delayed due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, and it is not yet known when the ceremony will take place.
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