In terms of their respective critical and commercial performances, David Ayer’s opener and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad are shaping up to be complete opposites. On both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, Suicide Squad holds the unwanted distinction of being the lowest-rated installment in the DCEU, with ratings of just 26% and 40.
The latest outing for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and her dysfunctional makeshift family is at the completely opposite end of the spectrum, with current totals of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 76 on Metacritic making it the best-reviewed entry in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ shared universe yet.
Commercially, Suicide Squad is virtually guaranteed to retain a sizeable advantage over its predecessor having debuted to $133 million in the summer of 2016 before going on to earn $746 million globally. The theatrical industry has taken such a hit during the COVID-19 era than a first frame between $20 and $30 million is viewed as an unqualified success these days, but The Suicide Squad is tracking higher than that.
Despite scoring a hybrid release on HBO Max, which admittedly hasn’t stopped the majority of WB’s titles from topping the domestic charts, Gunn’s R-rated romp could exceed $40 million for the weekend, which would give it one of the biggest pandemic-era first frames behind only Black Widow, Fast & Furious 9 and A Quiet Place Part II.
The Suicide Squad opened in many international territories last Friday, and it’s been doing decent enough business, but the domestic numbers will be more important than ever when the foul-mouthed escapade won’t be seeing a release in China, which is the only market on the planet that appears to be returning to pre-pandemic levels in terms of packing out theaters across the country.