Anyone But You Started An Unexpected Glen Powell Tradition After $1.4 Billion Hit

Summary Anyone But You included scenes of Glen Powell's character Ben working out on the beach, mirroring the iconic beach football scene from 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.

Although Powell is exercising solo in Anyone But You as opposed to playing a group sport, Anyone But You started a tradition of Powell's characters working out on the beach after Top Gun: Maverick.

Powell's next film, Hit Man, might break the beach workout trend established by Anyone But You as it seems less likely to include a scene like this.

Glen Powell's hit rom-com Anyone But You started a new tradition for the actor that began with his $1.4 billion action blockbuster from two years ago. Directed and co-written by Will Gluck, Anyone But You tells the story of two strangers, Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sydney Sweeney), who grow icy toward each other after their perfect first date goes south. The pair is forced to put up a friendly front at a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, where they decide to pretend to be a couple for their own benefit.

After premiering in the U.S. on December 22, 2023, Anyone But You broke multiple box office records and has since grossed $219 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Anyone But You's success as a rom-com established Powell and Sweeney as bankable romantic leads with amazing onscreen chemistry. While the R-rated rom-com has many stand-out moments, one minor element of Anyone But You created a new trend among Powell's movies by mirroring an iconic scene from his massive 2022 blockbuster.

Anyone But You is available to stream on Netflix.

Related Anyone But You Cast & Character Guide The cast of Anyone But You is full of well-known faces, of which some have starred in some of the biggest TV shows and movies in recent years.

Anyone But You Gave Glen Powell Another Beach Workout Scene After Top Gun: Maverick

Powell's Characters Are Shown Breaking A Sweat On The Beach In Both Movies

Close

Top Gun: Maverick Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film's events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick's late friend, forcing him to confront his past. Director Joseph Kosinski Release Date May 27, 2022 Cast Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris Runtime 130 Minutes Franchise(s) Top Gun prequel(s) Top Gun

In 2022, Powell starred as Jake "Hangman" Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick, the legacy sequel to Tom Cruise's 1986 classic, Top Gun. One of the many Top Gun Easter eggs and callbacks in Top Gun: Maverick was a recreation of the original movie's iconic beach scene. Instead of volleyball, the whole crew plays football on the beach in Top Gun: Maverick, including Powell's Hangman. This quickly became one of the most memorable moments in the sequel, with some finding Top Gun: Maverick's beach scene to be even better than Top Gun's original scene.

It may not be a team sport this time, but both movies include scenes of Powell's character exercising in some form on the beach.

A year after Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters, Powell could once again be seen breaking a sweat in the sand onscreen in Anyone But You. In multiple scenes throughout Anyone But You, Powell's character Ben is shown working out solo on the beach in Australia. It may not be a team sport this time, but both movies include scenes of Powell's character exercising in some form on the beach. In this way, Anyone But You established a particular pattern in Powell's film catalog that could continue in future roles.

Movie Title Glen Powell's Character Box Office (Worldwide) Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Jake "Hangman" Seresin $1.49 billion Anyone But You (2023) Ben $219 million

Related Where Was Anyone But You Filmed? The romantic comedy Anyone But You stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as a couple who pretend to date for a wedding – where was the movie filmed?

Glen Powell's Anyone But You Follow-Up Could Break His Beach Workout Tradition

Hit Man Is Less Likely To Include A Scene Of Powell's Character Working Out On The Beach

Close

Hit Man From director Richard Linklater comes Hit Man, a 2023 action comedy film based on a Texas Monthly article of the same name. Undercover and trying to catch a group of criminals, a Houston police officer poses as a hitman until he falls for a woman on assignment. Finding himself diving deeper into the world of crime, the Houston officer finds it increasingly difficult to escape his new undercover persona. Director Richard Linklater Release Date September 5, 2023 Writers Richard Linklater , Glen Powell Cast Glen Powell , Adria Arjona , Austin Amelio , Retta , Molly Bernard Runtime 113 Minutes

Two of Powell's last three movies included beach workout scenes, but the actor's next movie, Hit Man, might just break this trend. Directed by Richard Linklater, Hit Man is based on the true story detailed in Skip Hollandsworth's 2001 Texas Monthly article about an undercover cop moonlighting as a hitman to arrest those who hire him. Powell stars as the titular hitman, Gary Johnson, in the Netflix action rom-com, which marks his fourth collaboration with Linklater and first as a co-writer and producer.

Only time will tell whether Hit Man will continue Powell's newfound movie tradition by including a scene of his character working out on the beach.

After premiering at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023, Hit Man will officially be released on Netflix on June 7, 2024. Although Hit Man is a rom-com like Anyone But You and an action movie like Top Gun: Maverick, it seems less likely that Powell's character will appear shirtless while flexing his muscles on the beach this time around. Anything's possible, but only time will tell whether Hit Man will continue Powell's newfound movie tradition by including a scene of his character working out on the beach.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Glen Powell & Richard Linklater Movies Movie Title Glen Powell Role Richard Linklater Role Fast Food Nation (2006) "Steve" Director, Co-Writer Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) "Finnegan" Director, Writer, Producer Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) "Bostick" Director, Writer, Producer Hit Man (2023) "Gary Johnson," Co-Writer, Producer Director, Co-Writer, Producer