At some point, it was bound to happen. After dominating the box office for four consecutive weekends, Barbie is now slipping into second place as DC’s superhero flick, Blue Beetle (Barbie vs Blue Beetle), claims the top spot.
Blue Beetle is anticipated to debut with earnings ranging from $25 million to $27 million in North America. It made $10 million on Friday, which includes $3.3 million from previews. There’s a bit of uncertainty about how the impending tropical storm will affect box office numbers in Los Angeles, the movie’s primary market, and other parts of Southern California.
Barbie vs Blue Beetle
The superhero film’s somewhat somber mood is understandable. Not only is Blue Beetle falling short of initial expectations—pre-weekend forecasts suggested it might rake in $28 million to $32 million—it’s also poised for one of the lowest openings in the history of the DC Extended Universe, without accounting for inflation.
Director Ángel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle is a groundbreaking entry in Hollywood as the first live-action superhero film centered around a Latino protagonist. It aspires to be a significant moment for Latino audiences and representation both in front of and behind the camera. Xolo Maridueña takes on the titular role, supported by a cast including Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén, and Becky G.
According to PostTrak, a service that gauges audience reactions, 40 percent of Friday’s moviegoers were Latino, a notably higher figure than the usual 30 percent.
The release of Blue Beetle has faced challenges due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, preventing Soto’s cast from participating in the typical publicity circuit. In terms of audience feedback and demographics, the film garnered a B+ CinemaScore and attracted a predominantly male audience (66 percent).
Barbie is set to secure a fifth-weekend revenue of $20 million to $21 million or possibly more in North America. Following closely in third place is Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, expected to bring in $11 million. Oppenheimer, distributed by Universal, is on the brink of a significant milestone, crossing the $700 million global earnings mark, making it Nolan’s fourth highest-grossing film.
Universal’s raunchy canine comedy, Strays, is looking at an opening of around $8.5 million, closely competing with Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem for the fourth spot. Similar to Blue Beetle, Strays, which also received a B+ CinemaScore, couldn’t feature its star-studded voice cast in its promotional efforts.
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Please note that these numbers are subject to updates on Sunday morning.
