Blue Beetle: Another DC movie disappoints at global box office with USD 43 million in first weekend

Blue Beetle, the latest DC picture, is performing poorly at the box office, contributing to Warner Bros.' concerns. At the box office, the film debuted behind Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad.

By Avnii Bagaria

Updated on Aug 22, 2023 | 04:45 AM IST | 232.7K

Blue Beetle (IMDb)

Blue Beetle has failed to make an impression. Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe is in serious trouble, and the huge reason for this is the studio's public statement that the series is on its final legs. Under the supervision of new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, W.B. is rebuilding the DCEU as the DC Universe, which means that movies greenlit by the old administration, such as this week's Blue Beetle, are widely regarded as dead on arrival.

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Blue Beetle continues to struggle and disappoint at the box office

Blue Beetle was originally intended to be a direct-to-streaming title. The film's budget was also kept to approximately half of what other DCEU movies typically cost, but it was released in cinemas at a time when the public had all but given up on the series.

Furthermore, because of the current SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, none of the cast members could engage in promotional initiatives, significantly reducing public knowledge. All of this has led to the picture collecting just $25.4 million in its first weekend at the domestic box office and another $18 million from 64 overseas countries, for a total domestic box office debut of $43 million.

Blue Beetle's $25.4 million launch lags below as compared to the dismal openings of previous DCEU films since the epidemic, including Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. Unlike several of these films, however, it will not be a box office flop due to its modest production budget of only $104 million. Nonetheless, the film's domestic and worldwide debuts are among the lowest in the DCEU, trailing behind the pandemic-affected Wonder Woman 1984, making it a possible disaster.

Despite Blue Beetle's box office report, it received praise from the audience

Blue Beetle received positive feedback for its characters and humor, as well as its compassionate portrayal of Latino culture. The film received a strong B+ CinemaScore from opening-day audiences and presently has a healthy 76% rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, which is an improvement over prior DC films.

Despite these obstacles, Warner Bros. aims to restart the brand with James Gunn's Superman: Legacy in 2025. However, the studio still has Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from the previous DCEU, which is due to release in December.

Blue Beetle is currently screening on the big screen.

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