The Naked Gun's box-office run bags a major record for Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson

The Naked Gun is the fourth installment in the action crime comedy franchise. The film is directed by Akiva Schaffer and had its world premiere at New York's SVA Theater on July 28, 2025. It was released theatrically by Paramount on August 1. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd,

"Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr."

The film has Liam Neeson in the lead role as Lt. Frank Drebin's son. Its box-office success has proven to be a landmark for Neeson's career. Let's find out what that is.

The Naked Gun becomes Liam Neeson's highest-grossing film of this decade

The Naked Gun grossed $16.8 million on its opening day, which is the second-best opening for the franchise. Its total box office collection, including its global numbers, currently stands at $32.9 million. Out of this, $21.4 million came domestically, while $11.5 million came from the international ticket windows.

It has gone beyond the $32.6 million global mark of Liam Neeson's earlier film, Honest Thief. The action crime comedy has become the highest-grossing film of Neeson's career in this decade. While it's an impressive number, it's still only the 45th highest-grossing film of 2025.

The Naked Gun is written by Doug Mand, Dan Gregor and Akiva Schaffer, while Erica Huggins and Seth McFarlane have produced it under their banners of Fuzzy Door Productions. Here's a list of its cast members:

Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport
Moses Jones as Not Nordberg Jr.
Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr.
Danny Huston as Richard Cane
CCH Pounder as Chief Davis
Liza Koshy as Detective Barnes
Eddie Yu as Detective Park
Cody Rhodes as Bartender
Busta Rhymes as Bank Robber

In a Variety interview, Neeson spoke about how he got the film:

"I’d made a film with Seth MacFarlane 10 years ago. And he got in touch with me three years, three-and-a-half years ago to see if I’d be interested doing this reboot. I had a couple of apprehensions, but they didn’t last very long."

He further revealed his squeamishness about doing the project:

"The comedic stuff I’d done were just TV skits, a couple of minutes long. But a movie – the co-lead in a movie for 90 minutes was a bit of a tall order. But I did know that if push came to shove and we did it, the script would be at least be good if Seth was involved because he’s got a wicked sense of humor. If it’s at the very least good, I shouldn’t try to be funny."

Neeson made his acting debut in 1978 and went on to do films like Schindler's List, Rob Boy, Batman Begins and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The actor pivoted to action roles with 2008's Taken and went on to do several films in that genre.

The Naked Gun is currently playing in theaters.