Ryan Reynolds was desperate for Free Guy cinema release

Ryan Reynolds wanted audiences to enjoy the "communal experience" of cinema when watching 'Free Guy'.

The 44-year-old actor plays the lead role in the new sci-fi action comedy flick, which is finally set for release next month after being delayed numerous times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Ryan hopes the masses can take in the movie.

In an interview with Total Film magazine, he said: "I know how different a movie is when you watch it on a big screen with 100 other people, or 200, or 300, or 400, or 500 other people. It's like nothing else.

"That communal experience is so important to people. And I know coming out of this crazy 2020 and certainly part of 2021 – I, for one, am craving that communal experience again."

The 'Deadpool' star accepts that it was a "gamble" to keep delaying the film – which also stars Jodie Comer and Taika Waititi - but noted how the entire industry was affected by the global health crisis.

Ryan said: "Did it feel a gamble to wait? Yeah. But every single movie out there, big or small, was shifting in some way. Yeah, certainly, I worried about that.

"But also, at a certain point, you're like, 'I just want people to see the movie.' The movie makes you feel good.

"I want people to experience that, because it's been a crazy f***ing half-decade. Let's have some fun. Let's enjoy ourselves!"

Ryan believes that Shawn Levy's new flick, which tells the story of a man who finds out that he is a non-playable character in a video game, has elements of some of his favourite childhood films such as 'Back To The Future'.

He said: "I felt like the movie was just a fastball of joy. I wanted to feel something like I felt when I watched 'Back To The Future' as a kid. And it felt like it had those Amblin tones infused into it, which I was weaned on.

"I felt like this touched on something optimistic. It was funny and fun, and didn't leave me feeling cynical in any way."