“Blue Beetle” ends “Barbie’s” reign at the box office

The debut of ‘Blue Beetle’ took #1 at the box office in the United States and Canada, ending the reign of ‘Barbie’ which dominated the movie circuit for four consecutive weekends. The film had an estimated $25.4 million opening in North America, a performance that was hampered by Tropical Storm Hilary’s impact on Los Angeles, its primary market.

Overseas, the release added another $18 million from 63 countries to hit a global debut of $43.4 million, far below DC’s latest superhero film, “Black Adam” ($140 million ), “The Flash” ($130 million) and “Shazam! Fury of Gods” ($66 million), both of which fell short at the box office.

On the other hand, “Blue Beetle” was originally conceived as a streaming movie for HBO Max, costs less to produce – around $100 million – and has more modest revenue goals.

Superhero faces strike and storm

Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, “Blue Beetle” is the first American superhero film with a Latino protagonist. Starring Xolo Maridueña in the lead role, the film also marked Brazilian Bruna Marquezine’s Hollywood debut. As a result, Warner Bros. focused much of its advertising on the Latino and Hispanic market, and the film garnered a 90% positive response among niche moviegoers.

However, the promotion of ‘Blue Beetle’ was hampered by the actors’ strike in Hollywood, which prevented the cast from participating in its promotion. The lack of promotion at events like San Diego Comic-Con has also raised questions about the studio’s support for the film. However, the film earned positive ratings from audiences – B+ on CinemaScore – and from critics – 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.

To top it all off, Storm Hilary, which brought heavy rains, forced many people to stay indoors, potentially affecting box office receipts. Warner Bros. expressed clear concerns about the significant box office impact, as “Blue Beetle” was experiencing particularly strong demand in Los Angeles, one of the hardest-hit locations. The weather situation certainly added another challenge for the Latino hero to overcome this weekend.

Other highlights at the box office

At number 2, ‘Barbie’, directed by Greta Gerwig, has lost a place but continues to make fortunes. It was $21.5 million between Friday and Sunday (8/20) in North America, taking its domestic collections to an impressive $567.3 million and $1.2 billion worldwide.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” also continues on the podium. The film made $10.6 million in third place, bringing its domestic total to $285.2 million. Internationally, “Oppenheimer” amassed a whopping $432.6 million for a global total of $717.8 million. Passing the $700 million mark, it became the director’s fourth-biggest film and cemented itself as one of the year’s big hits.

“Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” went to No. 4 in its third weekend in theaters. The film made $8.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $88.1 million. The animated comedy, which cost $70 million to produce, also grossed $30 million internationally. The total sum is $118.4 million worldwide, but production has yet to start in many countries. The launch in Brazil will take place on August 31st.

A bad movie about dogs

The week’s second opener, the dog comedy “Bad for a Dog,” rounded out the Top 5 with an $8.3 million opening. The film also suffered from the weather and lack of promotion due to the strike, but had an added challenge created by its own marketing, as it was mistaken for a children’s film.

The comedy’s posters and trailers adopted a similar aesthetic to Universal’s previous dog films, such as ‘A Dog’s Dog’ and ‘The Life Together’, which were clearly aimed at children. However, “Bad for a Dog” is an R-rated comedy in the US, aimed at an adult audience, with more acid humor and explicit language. The result was a disconnect between audience expectations and the film’s actual content. Some families may have been lured into the marketing, only to find that the job wasn’t suitable for children. This mistaken identity likely hurt the film’s ability to appeal to the right audience, limiting its box office potential.

Critics still found the comedy mediocre. Dogs voiced by comedians like Will Ferrell and Jaime Foxx have only received a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The debut in Brazil is scheduled for September 28th.

trailers

Check out trailers for the top 5 movies in the US and Canada over the weekend below.

1 | BLUE BEETLE

2 | BARBIE

3 | OPPENHEIMER

4 | NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT CHAOS

5 | BAD FOR DOGS

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.