DESPITE HOLDING THE TOP SPOT, SUICIDE SQUAD’S NOSEDIVE ESTABLISHES A DISTURBING BOX OFFICE TREND FOR DC MOVIES
After Suicide Squad blew the doors off the worldwide box office last weekend, all eyes were on how it would fare this week. Would it suffer the same fate as DC’s other much-maligned blockbuster Batman Vs. Superman? Or would it weather the blistering reviews and continue to rake in mad movie cash?
The numbers are in and we have the answer.
Suicide Squad’s box office dropped 67% in its second week. In terms of real dollars that represents nearly 92 million dollars less in its second frame.
Suicide Squad’s descent mirrors BvS’s fall from box office grace almost identically. DC’s previous comic book epic dropped an astounding 69% in its second weekend despite an incredible debut. It also managed to hold on to first place at the box office its second weekend despite its drastic plunge (Suicide Squad’s 43.5 million kept it in the number one spot for the second weekend in a row). Though it could be argued that Squad faced much stronger competition in its second weekend than BvS, which faced virtually no competition in it second frame. At least part of Suicide Squad’s enormous drop can be attributed to Sausage Party’s stronger than anticipated debut as well as a decent (but unspectacular) opening by Pete’s Dragon.
This isn’t to say that Suicide Squad is a bomb. Squad has now grossed over 222 million domestically in just ten days and has amassed another 243 million worldwide. Suicide Squad may even turn out to be more profitable than BvS (which was not as profitable as most people think given its estimated 450 million dollar price tag). But how long can Warner Bros ignore these second week box office collapses?
Batman Vs. Superman, the meeting of the two most popular super heroes on the planet for the first time on film, should have easily been a billion dollar hit. And after its massive opening, its inclusion into the billion-dollar club was a foregone conclusion. But in the end it couldn’t even crack 900 million as poor word of mouth and bad reviews killed its long-term prospects. We seem to be seeing an identical situation unfold with Suicide Squad, the movie that was supposed to course correct DC’s cinematic Universe.
A recent shakeup in DC’s film hierarchy (which included bringing Geoff Johns from the comics side of the business to act as a much needed creative maestro) was considered a direct result of BvS’s poor reception by fans and critics alike, and it looks like Suicide Squad may have been released too early to benefit from those much needed changes.
But as it stands, Warner Bros. is playing with nuclear fire if they think having over-hyped spectacles open huge before plummeting as a result of critical floggings while relying on a small but loud (often obnoxious) group of fans to defend their honour on the internet is a sustainable business model. If for no other reason then other studios will no longer see DC’s releases as box office goliaths and fear competing against them. If Disney or Universal thinks they can take advantage of a DC tent pole release destined for a huge drop in its second weekend, they won’t hesitate to step up and load their slingshot. Remember, BvS saw no genuine competition until it’s third weekend and still fell to Earth faster then Icarus after his wings melted. How much longer can Warner Bros. expect to be given a wide berth by other studios?
The boos Zack Snyder received at Comic Con last month seem even louder now.
Last weekend’s other big release was Sausage Party, Seth Rogen’s much anticipated though quietly promoted R-Rated animated comedy. Party was expected to open in the low to mid twenty million-dollar range, but instead it somehow managed to drum up 34.2 million domestically. This is great news for Rogen (on top of voicing the main character, Rogen also produced and helped write it); whose had some tough box office luck the past year (Neighbors 2, The Night Before). It also proves a movie doesn’t have to have a huge promotional campaign to guarantee success. Because of its content, Sausage Party didn’t have much in the way of TV commercials and couldn’t even bring clips to network TV talk shows. But instead of limiting the movie’s exposure, it seems to have driven up the curiosity quotient. Could this inspire a similar (and cheaper) model for promoting movies moving forward?
Pete’s Dragon, Disney’s latest live action version of an animated classic, came in third with a respectable 21.5 million (though observers had expected it to see it open in the 30 million dollar range). Now the question is whether the generally well-received family flick proves leggy enough to turn a profit in what has been a pretty strong summer for Disney. The weekend’s other newcomer, the Meryl Steep period piece Florence Foster Jenkins, opened in eighth place with 6.6 million. Like Pete, this early Oscar vehicle was expected to do better then it really did, but it’s all about the awards for this flick.
Jason Bourne came in fourth with 13.8 million (bringing its three week total to 127 million) while Bad Moms continues to be one of the summer’s most profitable performers. The adult comedy snared fifth place by adding another 11.3 million to its 71.3 total, all on a budget of 20 million. Moms is turning into STX’s best earner to date and has successfully navigated the unforgiving summer market despite its small budget. But if we’re talking leggy performers, Lights Out is this summer’s little movie that could, adding 3.2 million to its 61.1 million total. Hanging onto the tenth spot last weekend, Lights Out will probably end up with around 65 million under its domestic belt, all on a 4.9 million dollar budget and inspired by a viral YouTube video.
The seemingly unstoppable Secret Life of Pets brought in yet another 9 million to its domestic total of 336 million. In what some have argued has been a down year for the North American movie industry, animation and comic book movies have kept Hollywood afloat. It looks increasingly likely that the expensive Star Trek Beyond will be hard pressed to break even, adding 6.8 million to its 137.7 million total, good enough for eighth spot. Meanwhile the family oriented comedy Nine Lives continued to under perform, slipping from sixth to ninth with 3.5 million (giving it a 13.5 Million dollar total so far).
Heading into the final weeks of August, all of Hollywood’s big summer bullets have now officially fired. Will Suicide Squad continue to follow BvS’s not so illustrious footsteps and fall from first place next week? Or will it buck the trend and hold onto to the top spot one more time? Stay tuned.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
Leave a Reply