As we journey further into 2023, the uphill battle faced by DC movies to secure their space within the cinematic universe seems poised to hit its deepest trench yet with the impending launch of Blue Beetle, as box office forecasts would have us believe. While earlier releases Black Adam and The Flash did manage to attract a reasonable crowd on their inaugural weekends, they ultimately fell short in their delivery due to the exorbitant budgets behind their productions. However, their performance seems to pale in comparison to the estimated pitifully low opening weekend haul for Blue Beetle, which is forecasted at merely $12-17 million.
The admirable efforts of James Gunn to drum up interest in Blue Beetle, by emphasizing that the character Jamie Reyes will continue his journey in the evolving DCU, seem to have been in vain. The dismal audience response is a clear reflection that even this move was insufficient to drive people into the theaters for a DC film. If the predictions released by Box Office Pro indeed come to pass, not only will Blue Beetle hold the infamous record of the poorest DC movie premiere in recent history (excluding Wonder Woman 1984, which collected a modest $16.7 million amid the Covid pandemic), but the movie’s total domestic box office earnings are also projected to be a dismal $55 million. For a film with a whopping $120 million budget, these statistics spell nothing but another debacle for Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Impact of Blue Beetle’s Box Office Flop Could Exacerbate the Blow from Batgirl’s Abandonment.
To add to the gloomy picture of Blue Beetle’s box office performance, the movie’s key players will not participate in promotional activities due to the ongoing actors’ strike. This absence of star power is a major setback for Warner Bros. Discovery, who were relying on it to bolster interest in the movie. The original plan for the film to be a Max exclusive, along with Batgirl, raised questions about its chances of ever making it to the big screen. Despite being saved from the purge that resulted in Batgirl’s axing, Blue Beetle’s release is now shaping up to be a greater loss for the studio than had they proceeded with Batgirl’s debut.
While numerous “unknown” superheroes have stormed the big screen and emerged victorious, the endeavor is an audacious one for the DC franchise, especially given the recent performances of its prominent characters. Despite Blue Beetle enjoying a following within certain circles, the character is largely unknown to the general movie-going public, posing yet another obstacle in the film’s path to success.
On the flip side, Batgirl had several aspects working in its favor, such as the inclusion of Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman and Brendan Fraser playing the antagonist, Firefly. The cancellation of the film, leading it to become a tax write-off, stirred up dissatisfaction among its fanbase. It further sparked significant resentment towards Warner Bros. Discovery, with fans left baffled as to why a nearly complete movie was suddenly scrapped.
In the upcoming weeks, the financial repercussions of the decision to release Blue Beetle will be laid bare, with its launch scheduled for August 18. It stands as the penultimate DC movie to be launched in 2023, and the industry is keenly observing whether it can escape the shadow of its bleak predictions.
