Star power on the red carpet is generally a given, but a good premiere-day stunt can be few and far between. Luckily, this year a number of studios invested in bringing their events to the next level, whether that’s by throwing stuntmen through the step-and-repeat (as was the case at The Fall Guy), hiring fake protestors to picket outside (per MaXXXine) or hosting an immersive fan competition for screening tickets (à la Squid Game).
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also brought in apes on horseback, Gladiator II transformed Hollywood Boulevard into The Colosseum, and Glen Powell enlisted his parents to bully him at the Hit Man premiere.
Over the hundreds of red carpets that look place in 2024, here are THR‘s picks for the most stunt-filled, over-the-top happenings in Hollywood this year (with plenty of video).
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’
Image Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images Jack Black celebrated the release of the fourth Kung Fu Panda film in March with a takeover of The Grove, alongside co-stars Bryan Cranston, Awkwafina, James Hong and Ke Huy Quan. The premiere began with Black dancing with Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass to their cover of “Baby One More Time” as they filmed a music video on the carpet, followed by a traditional Dragon dance.
Black also showed off plenty of his signature kicks while taking photos and doing interviews on the press line, as he offered up THR both a kiss and a kick. To close out the event, Black — who voices the titular panda Po — hopped on The Grove’s trolley to wave to fans as the cast traveled through the shopping center, stopping at the theater to watch the screening.
‘The Fall Guy’
Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Universal’s ode to stunt men fittingly takes the title for the stunt-iest premiere of the year, with something happening everywhere you looked at the April event. First, a stunt performer jumped off a platform onto Hollywood Boulevard and motorcycles sped down the red carpet; then, star Ryan Gosling posed for photos alongside two of his stunt doubles, as they were suddenly pulled through the step-and-repeat backdrop. And further down the line, stunt men fought each other and went crashing through a glass window, much to the delight of co-star Emily Blunt.
Just when it seemed like the stunts were coming to an end, Gosling disappeared from the carpet, only to return alongside Saturday Night Live‘s Mikey Day in full Beavis and Butt-Head attire, inspired by their SNL skit earlier that month.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’
Image Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios 20th Century brought the latest Planet of the Apes film to life at its May premiere, as realistic-looking apes rode horses down the Hollywood Boulevard red carpet. The stunt also tied into a marketing move by the studio had placed the apes in major cities leading up to the release, for the film that starred Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and Freya Allan.
‘Hit Man’
Image Credit: SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images Glen Powell’s overwhelming charm may be its own kind of stunt, which he put on display while promoting both Hit Man and Twisters this year. For the Netflix comedy, he recruited his parents to troll him with signs at the Austin premiere of Hit Man in May; in July, his dog Brisket became a major part of the Twisters press tour, as the pup made a red carpet appearance alongside the cast in L.A.
‘The Garfield Movie’
Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Sony not only rolled out the orange carpet for Garfield at the movie’s L.A. premiere in May, but also immortalized his paws in cement outside the iconic TCL Chinese Theater. The Garfield Movie stars Chris Pratt, Hannah Waddingham and Garfield creator Jim Davis were on hand to celebrate the moment — and help protect the fur.
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Will Smith brought the party to the Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiere in L.A. in May, as he arrived on Hollywood Boulevard atop a double-decker bus. Joined by co-star Martin Lawrence and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Smith had a mic in hand as he rapped and hyped up the crowd on the street below.
‘Inside Out 2’
Image Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar Before going on to become the biggest movie of the year, Inside Out 2 turned Hollywood Boulevard into a (literal) circus for the L.A. premiere in June, with jugglers and performers surrounding the El Capitan Theatre. Life-sized versions of the film’s emotions also walked the carpet, posing alongside stars Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke and Ayo Edebiri.
‘MaXXXine’
Image Credit: Araya Doheny/FilmMagic A24 went an unconventional route for the L.A. premiere of MaXXXine in June, hiring fake protestors to picket the red carpet with chants of “hey hey, ho ho, Maxine has got to go” and “horror equals porn.” They also waved signs that read things like “Hollywood is Satan’s playground” and “our children deserve better;” the film is set in 1980s Hollywood and follows adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx (played by Mia Goth) who finally gets her big break.
‘Gladiator II’
Image Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures Hollywood Boulevard transformed into Rome for the L.A. premiere of Gladiator II in November, as the outside of the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre was covered up to resemble The Colosseum. Statues and cauldrons of fire were also placed throughout the red carpet, alongside images of stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.
‘Squid Game’
Image Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix Netflix brought Squid Game to life in L.A. ahead of the second season’s release, with hundreds of fans coming out — and donning the signature green tracksuits — to compete for tickets to an advanced screening. The December premiere event featured a 5k (which incorporated challenges) and a real-life version of “Red Light, Green Light,” as pink guards and the show’s cast looked on.
