Topline
DC superhero flick Blue Beetle earned $25.4 million at the domestic box office this weekend, the worst opening weekend for a DC film this year, but it still knocked the summer’s mega-hit Barbie out of the weekend No. 1 spot for the first time since its premiere last month.
Stars Bruna Marquezine, Angel Manuel Soto and Xolo Mariduena attend the red carpet promoting the … [+]
Key Facts
The 14th installment of the DC Extended Universe opened to a $9.8 million opening day Friday and knocked Barbie, which earned roughly $6.2 million on August 18, out of top spot for the first time in 29 consecutive days.
Barbie was still the second-highest grossing film of the weekend with $21.5 million in earnings from Friday to Sunday, according to Variety, followed by Oppenheimer‘s $11 million draw, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem with $8.4 million and Strays, an R-rated talking-dog comedy starring Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell, with $8.3 million.
Blue Beetle’s first weekend still fell behind that of other recent DC releases like The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which earned $55.1 million and $30.5 million in opening weekends, respectively.
Blue Beetle hit the $25 million in earnings Deadline projected it would but fell short of the $32 million Variety anticipated it would make, adding it to a list of DC films that have fallen short of expectations and well behind the superhero movies produced by rival Marvel.
Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, passing the $700 million mark in global box office sales Sunday, giving it the No. 4 spot on this year’s worldwide box office chart and surpassing popular Nolan films Interstellar and Dunkirk.
What To Watch For
Another accolade for Barbie. This weekend’s earnings push the film to a domestic total of $567 million in earnings, just shy of the $574 million made by The Super Mario Bros. Movie. When Barbie overtakes the animated feature, it will be the biggest domestic release of the year.
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie attend the “Barbie” European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square … [+]
Key Background
DC’s superhero films have historically struggled at the box office when compared to Marvel. Blue Beetle has a 92% audience score and a 76% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 61 out of 100 on Metacritic. The Flash, released amid a controversy surrounding claims of harassment and disorderly conduct by star Ezra Miller, fell short of its $70 million opening weekend projection with $55.1 million in actual earnings. The film ended up making $268.5 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, barely surpassing its $265 million production and advertising budgets. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods was expected to make more than its $30.5 million opening and fell way short of its prequel’s $53.5 million debut. By comparison, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 pulled in $118.4 million in its opening weekend while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania grossed $106.2 million.
Further Reading
‘Oppenheimer’ Surpasses $700 Million Worldwide—2023’s Fourth Highest-Grossing Film (Forbes)
End Of Barbiemania? ‘Blue Beetle’ Unseats ‘Barbie’ With $9.8 Million Opening (Forbes)
‘Barbie’ Breaks $500 Million At U.S. Box Office—Further Cementing Itself As Summer’s Blockbuster (Forbes)
Here’s How ‘Oppenheimer’ Stacks Up Against Christopher Nolan’s Other Films By Box Office Opens And Critics’ Scores (Forbes)