Stephen King's The Running Man Finds Streaming Redemption

Despite a weak theatrical run, last year’s reboot of Stephen King’s The Running Man has found a second life on streaming. The 2025 adaptation, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell, sits at No. 1 on Paramount+ in the United States and has remained in the platform’s top 10 since landing there in January, besting titles such as Channing Tatum’s Roofman, Due Justice, and Top Gun: Maverick.

This version leans into action and explosions while telling a satirical tale of a society addicted to reality-TV escapism. The film is the second screen adaptation of King’s 1982 novel and adheres closer to the source material than the 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger take.

Set in a near-future world, The Running Man follows a top-rated show in which contestants known as Runners must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, a working-class father who enters the deadly competition to save his sick daughter and becomes an unexpected crowd-pleaser.

United States

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