The 2025 box office has been on shaky ground, with ticket sales lagging 7% behind last year. Audiences just haven’t been showing up in droves, leading to a series of underwhelming weekends at the movies. But just when Hollywood needed a box office boost, Jason Statham stepped in with another action-packed thriller.
His latest film, A Working Man, may not be an industry-saving blockbuster, but given the recent disappointments at the box office, it’s a much-needed win.
Directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad), A Working Man made a strong domestic debut, pulling in $15.2 million—a solid start that exceeded projections. This performance was enough to overtake Disney’s live-action ‘Snow White’, which brought in just $14.2 million in its second weekend.
Disney’s $250 million-budget remake has been struggling since its disappointing opening, managing only $143.1 million globally so far. With numbers like that, it’s on a fast track to becoming one of the year’s biggest box office flops.
Meanwhile, A Working Man also earned $15 million overseas, bringing its total global opening to $30.2 million. That’s a solid start, especially considering its modest $40 million budget. The film, backed by Amazon MGM, was primarily made to drive engagement on Prime Video, but its theatrical success is an added bonus.
Statham stars as Levon Cade, a former military operative who trades in his combat boots for a quiet life in construction. However, when his boss’s daughter is kidnapped by human traffickers, Cade has no choice but to step back into a world of violence and corruption to rescue her.
The movie, adapted from Chuck Dixon’s novel ‘Levon’s Trade’, was co-written by David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone. It delivers exactly what audiences have come to expect from Statham—intense action, high-stakes drama, and no-nonsense heroics.
Statham’s box office track record proves that audiences show up for him—if the project is right. The Beekeeper (2024) pulled in $152.7 million, offering a much-needed revenue boost for theaters during a tough time.
While Expend4bles underperformed, Statham bounced back with hits like:
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Meg 2: The Trench – $397.8 million
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Fast X – $714.3 million (despite its massive budget)
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Wrath of Man – $103.9 million, proving his strength as a solo lead
Of course, not every film is a guaranteed win (Operation Fortune flopped), but when Statham finds the right project, audiences respond.
His collaboration with Ayer seems to be a winning formula, and if A Working Man holds steady against the release of A Minecraft Movie next weekend, it could be another standout success for both men.