Knocking Barbie off the top of the box office is an achievement, but it’s about the only positive to be drawn from the disappointing debut of Blue Beetle, which does at least have the marketing opportunity to be called the number one movie in the country for the next seven days.
Coming in with an estimated three-day debut of $25.4 million, it’s yet another flop-in-waiting for the beleaguered DCEU, and at this point would anybody really be surprised if Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom follows suit despite the opening installment being the comic book company’s highest-grossing release ever with a global tally north of $1.1 billion?
If you exclude Wonder Woman 1984 from the equation on account of Gal Gadot’s sequel premiering when theaters across the country were shuttered at the height of the pandemic’s first wave, then Blue Beetle has gained the unwanted label of being DC’s lowest-grossing live-action superhero blockbuster to have hit theaters since 2004, when Halle Berry’s Catwoman deservedly landed with a dull thud.
During that time, only Jonah Hex and The Losers have opened lower, but they technically get a pass seeing as they’re not what you’d call superhero stories. DC League of Super-Pets and Teen Titans Go! to the Movies are animated but did manage to fare worse than Blue Beetle, even if it’s yet another sign that audiences have grown exceedingly weary of Warner Bros.’ superhero sandbox.
James Gunn has a hell of a job on his hands to turn the tide of apathy, but having confirmed Jaime Reyes will be a part of his plans, the scarab-loving title character has been guaranteed a shot at redemption somewhere down the road.