Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
69%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 4 nominations
Murtaugh and Riggs remain an appealing partnership, but Lethal Weapon 3 struggles to give them a worthy new adventure as it cranks up the camp along with the mean-spiritedness
Lethal Weapon 3 is the kind of movie that makes you want to grab a bag of popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Sure, it’s not going to win any awards for character development, but who needs that when you have explosions and car chases galore? The bad guys are so despicable that you’ll be rooting for their demise, and the humor and verve make it a fun addition to the action/adventure series. Plus, who doesn’t love a good dose of Los Angeles police brutality? All in all, it’s erratic yet entertaining, and definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for some mindless fun.
Production Company(ies)
Twentieth Century Fox,
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Orlando, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and language
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 15, 1992 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 1997
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Stuart Wilson, Steve Kahan, directed by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, Jeffrey Boam, Robert Mark Kamen, action, R rating, box office performance, $142.0M, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Stephanie Rosenfeld, Owen Gleiberman, Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, Vincent Canby, Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs, Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh, Joe Pesci as Leo Getz, Rene Russo as Lorna Cole, Stuart Wilson as Jack Travis, produced by Richard Donner, Joel Silver, Warner Home Vídeo, Surround, Stereo, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $321,731,527
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $688,674,554
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 178
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 75,100,824
US/Canada gross: $144,731,527
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $309,801,532
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 179
US/Canada opening weekend: $33,243,086
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $71,157,675
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 134
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $74,918,394
Production budget ranking: 567
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $40,343,555
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $573,412,605
ROI to date (est.): 497%
ROI ranking: 259
Danny Glover – Roger Murtaugh
Joe Pesci – Leo Getz
Rene Russo – Lorna Cole
Stuart Wilson – Jack Travis
Steve Kahan – Captain Ed Murphy
Director(s)
Richard Donner
Writer(s)
Shane Black, Jeffrey Boam, Robert Mark Kamen
Producer(s)
Richard Donner, Joel Silver
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (20)
A celebration of Los Angeles police brutality and large-scale explosions…
May 26, 2022
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It’s an action movie – we want explosions, not character development. And explosions and car chases are what we get.
December 17, 2020
Stephanie Rosenfeld
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Manages to be highly entertaining and sanctions all its violence by making the bad guys so despicable that death seems to be the only solution.
June 5, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
What this sequel delivers is still the kind of high-speed roller-coaster action that producer Joel Silver’s films often do so well.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The movie isn’t going anywhere, but it goes in circles at top speed.
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
The humor and verve outdo the sappier moments, allowing it to be a satisfactory (but not superior) addition to the popular action/adventure series.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
…erratic yet entertaining sequel…
February 11, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The idea of going round casually shooting the people who make life boring appeals to me. For this reason alone I get great satisfaction out of the Lethal Weapon formula.
July 25, 2018
Vanessa Letts
The Spectator
This Richard Donner package is as shameless as its predecessors, but it also shows a certain growth, however schizoid.
April 13, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
While I’d loved Sarah Connor and Ripley before her, Lorna Cole became the number one heroine I’d wish to save me as a dude in distress.
May 23, 2017
Fred Topel
We Live Entertainment
Lethal Weapon 3 is inexcusable crap, but it’s sort of intriguing inexcusable crap.
August 12, 2012 | Rating: 0/4
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central…
Plot
Archetypal buddy cops Riggs and Murtaugh are back for another round of high-stakes action, this time setting their collective sights on bringing down a former Los Angeles police lieutenant turned black market weapons dealer. Lorna Cole joins as the beautiful yet hardnosed internal affairs sergeant who catches Riggs’s eye.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Joe Pesci returns as the annoying informant Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 3.
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