The Running Man Remake Rotten Tomatoes Score Unveiled

This year has been extremely kind to Stephen King fans. The King of Horror is an extremely prolific author, and Hollywood has always jumped to adapt his works, and 2025 was filled with new adaptations, or remakes, like The Running Man.

The film, which cements Glen Powell as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, is a remake of the 1987 film of the same name. The previous entry featured Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role, who has since given his blessing for the new entry. However, ahead of The Running Man’s premiere on Nov. 14, the new sci-fi entry debuted with an underwhelming 71% rating from the critics, one of the lowest scores for his adaptations this year, but still extremely thrilling as it continues an all-positive trend for all adaptations.

2025 featured four feature adaptations and two films. It kicked off in February with Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey, which was extremely well received. The dark comedy features a 77% Certified Fresh score out of almost 300 reviews, but an unfortunate 55% rating from the audience.

The next release was the highly anticipated The Life of Chuck, which comes from Stephen King’s frequent collaborator Mike Flanagan. The film had debuted to high praise at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and officially premiered in theaters this June. It features a Certified Fresh 80% score from the critics, and 88% from the audience.

The next King adaptation was The Institute, which debuted on MGM+ in July. It received mild reviews, as Season 1 featured 64% from the critics and 71% from the audience. However, it was a massive streaming hit, and MGM+ rushed to renew The Institute for Season 2.

The follow-up release was The Long Walk. The film had spent years in development hell, before Francis Lawrence and JT Mollner finally figured it out. The Long Walk turned into one of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time, with a thrilling 88% score from the critics, and a Certified Fresh badge, as well as 85% from the audience.

The second-to-last adaptation of 2025 was It: Welcome to Derry. The series further expanded the It universe, bringing back Andy and Barbara Muschetti as director and producer, respectively. The show, which debuted on Oct. 26, features a 78% Certified Fresh score from the critics and 80% from the audience.

What Are Critics Saying About The Running Man?

Glenn Powell in The Running ManImage via Paramount Pictures

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman was among the positive reviews, noting the differences between the first take on the 1982 novel, and the new version. “Released in 1987, The Running Man was a lumbering Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. You could say that Edgar Wright, the director of the new version, has made it into a decent Bruce Willis movie.”

Among the negative reviews, FlickDirect’s Allison Rose argued the “delivers grit and heart, but loses its pace long before the finish line,” a sentiment echoed by Screen International’s Nikki Baughan, who notes, “This Running Man could have been a powerful anarchist fable for our turbulent times but fun as it is, it runs out of steam before making any lasting impact.” Since the sci-fi film has yet to premiere in theaters, there is no audience score available. The current 71% rating comes from only 42 reviews ahead of the film’s theatrical release, and it’s likely to fluctuate as more reviews come in.

CBR‘s own Ben Morganti was among those who shared a positive review for The Running Man. The review points out the film is ” a nice balance of popcorn thrills and deeper thematic resonance. Never trying to be more than it has to be, The Running Man provides a good time at the movie theater, and will definitely force some people to look at the undeniable parallels this futuristic fiction has to real-life society,” while also praising Glen Powell’s ability to prove his worth as a new leading man.

The Running Man premieres in theaters on Nov. 14.