This weekend, Blue Beetle opened to just $43.4 million worldwide. While there's still time for the latest DCEU movie to turn things around, this isn't a good start for the movie even with a reported production budget of $104 million.
Yes, it was once set to be released on HBO Max, and you could argue that $43.4 million is better than the nothing it would have made beyond a potential increase in subscriber numbers. Movies made for streaming aren't produced with opening weekends in mind, though, and a disappointing $25 million U.S. debut is not a result Warner Bros. Discovery will be happy about.
More concerning is the fact Blue Beetle is currently the seventh DCEU box office flop released in a row:
- Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey ($201 million)
- Wonder Woman 1984 ($166 million)
- The Suicide Squad ($167 million)
- Black Adam ($391 million)
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods ($132 million)
- The Flash ($268 million)
- Blue Beetle ($43.4 million and counting)
Two of those were released during the pandemic and had to contend with that and dual releases on HBO Max. However, the fact is that Warner Bros. has not released a true DCEU hit since 2019's Shazam!, and most of these were critically panned to boot.
Would it be unfair to blame all this talk of "superhero fatigue" on the DCEU? Yes and no. Marvel Studios has certainly contributed to the problem with hit-and-miss Disney+ TV shows and disappointing blockbusters like Eternals and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
The DCEU is a brand damaged beyond repair, though, and all eyes will now be on this December's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to see if it can come close to replicating the 2018 movie's $1.2 billion success. DC Studios' reboot is much-needed, though with DC as a whole tarnished, can even Superman: Rebirth escape the DCEU curse?
Considering the fact The Batman grossed $771 million last year, it's clear the problem is the DCEU itself. James Gunn might want to bear that in mind when enlisting familiar faces from the movies above to populate his new DCU.
What do you think?