The1980s were a critical time for the comedy film. This included coming-of-age comedies from the decade’s legend, John Hughes. In this era,Hughes put out such moviesasThe Breakfast Club,Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, andPlanes, Trains, and Automobiles.
In addition to Hughes, who was considered essential to crafting some of the period’s sensibilities, another big name in comedy inthat decade was Leslie Nielsen. The actor kicked off the decade with a bang byplaying a key character in the 1980 movieAirplane!.This farcical parody comedy was well-received and made over $83 million at the box office on a $5 million budget.
Airplane!is lauded as a classic today, persisting through time after over four decades. As for Nielsen, the actor had a prolific career in the industry that extended throughout the ’80s and ’90s. He lived to be 84 years old, passing away in 2010.
Nielsen also had another key role in the later 1980s that would come to be right up there withAirplane!as one of his most famous parts, with the film extension getting a new life on streaming again, prior to a key release.
The First Naked Gun Movie Is Trending On Streaming
The Reboot Film Releases This Weekend
The Naked Gun: From the Files of The Police Squad!is now a streaming hit. The 1988 movie was a spinoff of Nielsen’s own parody TV showPolice Squad!from six years earlier. In it, he reprised his role as Detective Frank Drebin, a struggling police officer who is tasked with thwarting an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II.
The Naked Gunwas well-received, getting an 88% Tomatometer and making $78.7 million at the worldwide box office. It got two more Nielsen-led sequel films, while thisyear,the franchise is continuing in the form of a legacy sequel,The Naked Gun, which stars Liam Neeson as Nielsen’s son, Frank Drebin Jr.
As perFlixPatrol, the firstNaked Gunmovie is now trending on streaming. The film came in atNo. 5 on Paramount+’s Top 10 moviesin the United States today, July 31. It beat out other movies, including 2004’sMean Girls, Extract, andThe Lincoln Lawyer.
What This Means For The Naked Gun Franchise
This Is A Good Sign For The Reboot At The Box Office
This streaming trend is a good sign forNeeson’sThe Naked Gunas it hits theaters this weekend. The movie has already gotten good reviews, scoring a 91% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. This included an 8 out of 10-star review fromScreenRant’s Zachary Moser, who noted how funny the legacy sequel was.
If the positive reviews were not a good enough sign, the Nielsen film’s streaming trend will be a further push forThe Naked Gunat the box office. People are aware enough of the legacy sequel that they are tuning in to watch the film, which may compel them to go see the latest work in theaters.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Cast
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a comedic crime film starring Leslie Nielsen as the clueless Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Released in 1988, the plot follows Drebin as he inadvertently uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II while investigating his partner’s shooting.
