In a piece of relieving news for DC Studios, their latest superhero flick, Blue Beetle, has managed to break through the $100 million mark worldwide, during its fourth weekend.
Despite an overall positive critical reception, the film followed the DCEU's streak of box office disappointments. Failing to spark interest among fans, the film has not even reached the equivalent figure of its modest $104 million budget and is certainly not going to break even, thus, raising speculations about the future of the character in the upcoming DC Universe.
Starring Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña as the titular superhero and directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, the film initially struggled at the box office failing to reach even $50 million globally in debut weekend. However, it showed a stronghold in the subsequent weekends, dropping less than any other DCEU movie since the pre-pandemic release of Birds of Prey. After weeks of an uphill battle, Blue Beetle currently stands at $101.9 million, as it races the $134 million collection of this year's Shazam! Fury of Gods to dodge the title of being the lowest-grossing DCEU movie. However, the underperforming debut casts doubts on the franchise's standing in the superhero genre.
Following its disappointing $25 million opening weekend in North America, it had become evident that Jaime Reyes' origin story did not resonate with audiences as strongly as almost any other superhero film. The film industry strikes had also prevented the cast from promoting the film leading up to its release. The ongoing DC Extended Universe is set to conclude later this year with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which further reduced fans' interest in the movie. Moreover, the film was caught in the middle of the ongoing "Barbenheimer" effect, which has caused almost every July and August release to fail against the blockbuster box office runs of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Will Blue Beetle Continue in the DCU?
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has spoken about the possible return of Blue Beetle in the rebooted DCU, the lackluster box office performance may generate some obstacles. Despite its box office struggles, Blue Beetle earned praise from both critics and audiences, gaining a 78% "certified fresh" critics score and a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was particularly lauded for its representation of the Latine community and Maridueña's performance.
Incidentally, Disney's latest box office bomb, Haunted Mansion, also crossed the $100 million milestone on the same day, though that film is nearing its run. In the only positive news for the studio, Pixar's Elemental regained nearly 2000 screens and crossed the worldwide collection of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania.
Blue Beetle is currently playing in theaters.
Source: The Numbers