'Road House' starring Jake Gyllenhaal breaks record with 50 million global viewers on Amazon

Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor star in 2024 remake

Jake Gyllenhaal honored Patrick Swayze with tattoos in ‘Road House’ remake

"Road House" star Jake Gyllenhaal honored the late Patrick Swayze, star of the original film, with tattoos on his character in the remake.

The "Road House" remake, starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the role previously held by the late Patrick Swayze, brought in record-breaking numbers with its re-release in March.

The movie was distributed by Amazon MGM Studios and released on March 21, 2024, through Prime Video. The film was publicly released after first premiering at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

"Road House" is a remake of the '80s cult classic starring Swayze, Kelly Lynch and Sam Elliott. The new movie follows a similar plot as the classic film. 

Poster of Jake Gyllenhaal in Road House

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the 2024 "Road House" film. (Amazon/MGM)

JAKE GYLLENHAAL, JULIA STILES, CASEY AFFLECK, OTHER ACTORS WHO STUDIED AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 

"A bouncer hired to clean up the baddest honkytonk in a Missouri town. Armed with a black belt in karate and a degree in philosophy, Patrick Swayze sets out to tame the Double Deuce for its owner," the IMDb summary of the 1989 film says.

The 2024 remake is about an ex-UFC fighter named Dalton who "takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems," the summary on IMDb reads.

The new movie follows Gyllenhaal as Swayze’s beloved character, with Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams and Conor McGregor, in his film debut, all part of the supporting cast.

During the first two weekends on Prime Video, the movie brought in 50 million worldwide viewers, according to a press release by the streaming service. This makes the film the biggest global launch for Prime Video.

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Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal face to face in a scene from Road House

"Road House" marks Conor McGregor's, left, film debut. (Amazon Content Services LLC)

"The groundbreaking, successful debut of ‘Road House’ is a testament to the hard work and commitment from the entire ‘Road House’ filmmaking team and the film’s cast led by the phenomenal Jake Gyllenhaal," said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. 

"The world is absolutely loving this entertaining, action-packed ride anchored by the performances of Jake, Conor McGregor, Daniela Melchior, Darren Barnet, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro, JD Pardo and the rest of our stellar cast. It’s great to see the film taking off with both fans of the iconic original as well as a huge turnout from new audiences," Salke continued. "This incredible film is really giving everyone something to talk about, and we couldn’t be more proud!"

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Remakes, in general, are a hard thing to do. Many loyal fans of the classic don’t want to see their favorite characters reimagined. Even though remakes can be a difficult project to get fans on board with, the new film brought in high numbers from the start.

Gyllenhall has acknowledged the popularity of the classic film through many interviews leading up to the remake's release, and he even honored Swayze through the new movie.

"I mean, I tried the best I can. I obviously couldn't do the same amazing things he does in the original movie, but I tried to carry him with me," Gyllenhaal told Fox News Digital. "So, my character has a lot of different tattoos. And there are a number of different tattoos I wore that were sort of in honor of him, just to remind myself every day."

Patrick Swayze in "Road House" portrait

Patrick Swayze starred in the original "Road House." (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)

"They're not real tattoos," the actor said. "So, we put them on every day. And every time we put them on, it kind of just remind[ed] me of him, of his kindness, [and] my gratitude that I wouldn't be able to do the film without him having done the original."

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"[They were a] reminder to bring the energy from his original performance into this one, because there's something so special about that first one," Gyllenhaal said.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital. 

Authored by Ashlyn Messier via FoxNews April 2nd 2024