Despite soaring expectations, DC Comic's Birds of Prey failed to hit its mark at the box office.
Per Deadline, the Suicide Squad spinoff only pulled in $33.2 million at the domestic box office, which is well below the $50-$55 million that the film was projected to make during its opening weekend. The Margot Robbie-starring comic book movie also fell short in foreign markets, where it was expected to make at least $110 million overseas but ended up earning just $81.2 million. That makes it the worst opening for a DC film since 2010's Jonah Hex.
It's unclear why ticket sales for Birds of Prey were so low. The well-reviewed film had a pretty sparkling 81% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and B+ CinemaScore from audiences. DC Comics was also on a bit of a hot streak, with both Wonder Woman and Aquaman doing well at the box office, along with Joker, which turned out to be the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Usually good reviews and great lead-in films translate to major ticket sales. Yet for some reason, that wasn't the case here.
It could just come down to a lack of interest. Robbie's take on Harley Quinn was the best part of Suicide Squad, but does she have a big enough following to warrant her own film? The characters she was paired with certainly don't have the kind of recognition that other franchise-starters enjoy, either.
"There are plenty of questions from comic book fans as to who are the new characters. Why doesn’t Black Mask always have the black mask on? And more. So, the naysayers definitely have their concerns not only about plot but also about the film’s woke level," entertainment social media analytics company RelishMix told Deadline.
If the film doesn't pick up steam fast, it may be the last we see of Harley Quinn until, well, the next Suicide Squad.
Meanwhile, Uncut Gems became A24's highest-grossing movie ever.
In Howie we trust.
