Blue Beetle opened to just $25 million at the North American box office and all signs point to it being another DCEU flop.
The movie only cost $120 million to produce (which goes in its favour) but Blue Beetle also opened to just five figures in many countries, suggesting the international box office will be unable to save it. In the U.S., Warner Bros. has blamed its performance on the weather.
With a 77% Rotten Tomatoes score, it's a shame to see the year's best-reviewed DC title struggle in this way but has Warner Bros. already given up on it?
If so, that's massively disappointing but a new rumour suggests the current plan is for Blue Beetle to hit Digital platforms on September 19. A release window this short is a strong indication a studio has accepted a movie won't make much of a financial impact in theaters moving forward but we should note that nothing is confirmed yet.
Interestingly, a Home Entertainment debut this soon might ultimately benefit Jaime Reyes' origin story.
For starters, it means those who skipped Blue Beetle in theaters will likely pay to watch the movie at home and that increases the odds of Warner Bros. recouping its costs. Plus, if it's a hit on Digital, that increases the odds of James Gunn fulfilling his promise of bringing the hero into the new DCU.
An argument could be made that, whatever Blue Beetle makes, it's better than the HBO Max debut which was originally planned.
In Blue Beetle, recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.
When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters.