Key Takeaways
- Despite its underwhelming box office performance, Blue Beetle received mostly favorable reviews and made an impact, proving there is value in being unabashedly true to itself.
- The film faced numerous challenges, including limited promotion, actor and writer strikes, a tropical storm during opening weekend, and competition from the Barbie franchise. However, it still managed to connect with audiences through word of mouth and a compelling story.
- Blue Beetle's success in securing a place in the new DCU and convincing director James Gunn of Xolo Maridueña's suitability for the role is an exciting prospect for fans, especially considering the franchise's history of replacing iconic actors.
As Blue Beetle settles into the background, director Angel Manuel Soto had an interesting take on the film's box office performance and what it means for those behind the scenes.
It was plain as day before it even released that DC's Blue Beetle movie had too much riding on its success. Serving as an origin story for Jaime Reyes, the more contemporary version of the Blue Beetle character, the film was released as one of the final pulses of Zach Snyder's DCEU and suffered for it, with fans having long since consigned the few remaining projects not under the banner of James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DCU to the box office flop pile. Despite this, many still looked to the film to potentially redeem the DCEU and secure a place in the new continuity for leading man Xolo Maridueña.
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While Blue Beetle couldn’t save what's left of the DCEU, the film did still manage to make an impact and even garner primarily favorable reviews from fans and critics alike, despite ending its box office run at a franchise-low $129.3 million, just a bit over its budget. Speaking to Forbes about the film’s lengthy 4-month run in theaters and relatively good reception, Soto seemed pleased with the outcome. "That perspective is new. I have never thought of it that way," the director admitted. "I guess it's reassuring that even with all the situations that were happening at the time, the film performed in a way it was not supposed to."
It did really well considering that promotional material was limited, there were the actors and writers strikes, there was a tropical storm the same opening weekend, there was the Barbie takeover, and still people saw it. It has made the amount of money it has made because of word of mouth and because people connected to the story. The reviews were great, too.
The tropical storm in a major market was the main reason WBD outlined for Blue Beetle's bland opening, with the lack of promotion due to strikes and the Barbenheimer craze also going a long way to weigh down the film’s theatrical run. However, the film was still leagues above initial expectations, with Blue Beetle initially being made to go straight to streaming before the decision to take it to theaters. "When you think about it, and all that, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course, we deserve to be in theaters,' and it reassured us that our instincts were right and that there is value in being unabashedly who we are, and to have a film that celebrates that. It's worth having it," Soto remarked.
One more noteworthy thing Soto's film managed to achieve was assuring Gunn that Maridueña was the right guy for the role in his new DCU, news that the Blue Beetle director had a great reaction to. While there aren’t any concrete plans for the character, Gunn has made it clear that there will be a place for the Blue Beetle in the new continuity, and that says a lot in a franchise that already did away with names like Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. It’s certainly an exciting prospect, and fans must stay tuned to see what’s in store for Maridueña when the new DCU gets underway.
Blue Beetle
6.1/10
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- August 17, 2023
- Director
- Angel Manuel Soto
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
MORE: Mortal Kombat 1 Should Take Advantage of One Character’s Dissolvement in Zack Snyder’s DCEU
Source: Forbes
FAQs
Blue Beetle, a DC movie that flopped at the box office, found success after premiering on the Max streaming service, becoming the number one streaming movie among U.S. consumers.
Is Blue Beetle underperforming? ›
Nevertheless, the film is underperforming at the worldwide box office, earning only $128 million at the worldwide box office during its theatrical release against a $120 million budget (according to The Numbers).
How much money did Blue Beetle lose? ›
The film had an $125 million production budget. That means the film lost around $108 million.
Is Blue Beetle selling well? ›
Blue Beetle has grossed $129.2 million and rising at the worldwide box office, debuting with $25 million opening weekend and knocking the aforementioned Barbie off the top spot.
What was the biggest flop at the box office? ›
Biggest box-office bombs
| Title | Year | Estimated loss (millions) |
|---|
| Adjusted for inflation |
|---|
| Hart's War | 2002 | $106 |
| Haunted Mansion | 2023 | $117 |
| Heaven's Gate | 1980 | $150 |
73 more rowsDC has one problem: it has been losing to Marvel for years but has the chance to swing back. Marvel has more "fresh" characters. In new movies like "Eternals,“ "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, the characters are diverse and have different backgrounds and abilities.
Why didn't Blue Beetle do better? ›
Knowing all of this information, we know that the majority of the reasons Blue Beetle wasn't a success was because it was a DC movie and wasn't given a chance to get a fair rating, as well as not targeting the right audience that can feel connected to the movie.
Why didn't DC promote Blue Beetle? ›
For one, the ongoing strikes meant that none of its cast, including Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña, could do promotion for the movie. It was left to director Ángel Manuel Soto to take on promotional duties alone and he's just not the same draw as its stars. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures//Warner Bros.
Was Blue Beetle a success? ›
Blue Beetle grossed $72.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $58.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $130.8 million.
What is Blue Beetle weakness? ›
Even if it's been severed from his body. Gross. Although the Scarab is the source of Blue Beetle's awesome power, it is also Jaime's greatest weakness as occasionally it wrestles with the boy for control of his mind and body.
In 1986, DC Comics launched its first Blue Beetle series, starring Ted Kord. This integrated him into the DC Comics shared universe, allowing him to interact with other significant characters. In this iteration, Kord was a billionaire industrialist.
Why did the Blue Beetle flop? ›
There are several reasons the film didn't perform well at the box office, such as dwindling interest in DC heroes and the character's lack of popularity. However, a few reasons for Blue Beetle's poor performance could be foreshadowing other issues that Gunn will have a hard time escaping while building his universe.
Is Blue Beetle a bust? ›
In an undeservedly disastrous outcome, Blue Beetle sits atop a worldwide box office cume of just $85 million, and now eyes a $110 million final box office cume.
Is there Blue Beetle 2? ›
Summary. Director Angel Manuel Soto has plans for a potential Blue Beetle trilogy, with hopes for two more sequels following the initial origin movie. The release date for Blue Beetle 2 is uncertain, as it would depend on the success of the first film and the scheduling of other projects in the DCU slate.
Is Aquaman 2 hit or flop? ›
After two weeks in play, Aquaman 2 stands at $81.7 million in the US and $173.6 million overseas for a combined global tally of $255.3 million to date. We're not about to say that its total is exceptional, especially for a blockbuster with a reported $205 million budget.
Who is better Blue Beetle or Iron Man? ›
Iron Man's vast array of advanced weaponry could give him an advantage in firepower and adaptability. Still, Blue Beetle's scarab-derived abilities might provide him with unique powers that Iron Man's technology can't counter easily, especially not without some time to prepare for the battle.
