Morbius debuted to dreadful reviews last week, but the movie did seem to go over better with cinemagoers (it has a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), and actually managed to take in close to $40 million in The US over the course of its opening weekend.
We figured this wouldn't last, though, and the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 always seemed likely to drive a stake through the heart of Morbius' box office hopes. Unfortunately for Sony Pictures, The Living Vampire's big-screen debut fared even worse than expected.
Analysts predicted a decline of 55% - 60% for a $15 million second weekend, but the latest figures suggest a massive 74% drop and a paltry $10 million haul. This would being Morbius to around $57 million domestic after its second weekend in theaters. The movie hasn't done particularly well overseas, either, although it has now passed the $100 million mark (as star Jared Leto points out below).
Is this franchise dead in the water? Well, both Venom movies cleaned up at the box office despite negative reviews, and we don't need to remind you how well No Way Home is still performing. Even if Morbius tanks hard, the studio will probably be content to take the loss and forge ahead with its SPUMC plans, possibly utilizing Jared Leto's antihero sparingly and only in other characters' films until the big Sinister Six team-up.
What did you guys make of Morbius? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.