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 Those ticket sales were easily
enough to lead domestic box office charts
despite falling short of expectations heading
into the weekend. There were several factors
contributing to its less-than-stellar start,
including but not limited to growing concern
over the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Warner
Bros. film's hybrid release on HBO Max at no
extra charge to subscribers, and its R-rating.
An opening weekend below $30 million isn't
surprising, given the ongoing pandemic, but it's
disappointing because "The Suicide Squad" cost
$185 million to produce and many millions more
to promote globally.
At the international box office, "The Suicide
Squad" added another $35 million from 70
overseas territories, bringing its global tally
to $72.2 million.
"The Suicide Squad" serves as a do-over, of
sorts, to the 2016 Warner Bros. movie about a
group of expendable super-villains on a deadly
mission. It brings back Margot Robbie as Harley
Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Col. Rick Flag and Viola
Davis as Amanda Waller, but original stars Will
Smith and Jared Leto didn't return for the fresh
spin on the DC Comics adaptation. Though Robbie
and Davis are A-listers, "The Suicide Squad"
likely suffered from lack of star power. Despite
the vastly different reception (the article-less
"Suicide Squad," directed by David Ayer, has a
26% on Rotten Tomatoes), the latest take won't
come close to reaching the ticket sales of the
original, which kicked off with $133 million and
ended its run with $746 million globally. Of
course, that film didn't open during a deadly
pandemic and wasn't offered simultaneously on
HBO Max.
Still, industry analysts thought "The Suicide
Squad" would have a stronger launch because the
film has excellent reviews, and its target
audience of younger males have been among the
most loyal moviegoers during the pandemic.
Instead, "The Suicide Squad" didn't collect much
more than its fellow Warner Bros. and DC
tentpole "Wonder Woman 1984," which generated
$16.7 million last December at a time when only
35% of movie theaters had reopened and the idea
of a widely available vaccine felt like a far
off dream. Today, more than 85% of U.S. and
Canadian cinemas have reopened, according to
Comscore.
"Currently, this is an unforgiving market," says
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting
firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "Under
normal conditions, a strong marketing campaign
can overcome a few drawbacks and generate a good
weekend. Under current conditions, that isn't
happening."
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 In a distant second place on
box office charts, Disney's "Jungle Cruise"
dipped 55% in its second weekend with ticket
sales totaling $15.7 million from 4,310 venues.
The family friendly film, starring Dwayne
Johnson and Emily Blunt, has grossed $65 million
in North America and $121 million globally.
Disney reported last weekend that "Jungle
Cruise" made $30 million on Disney Plus, but the
studio did not provide an update beyond its
initial outing. Universal's
psychological thriller "Old" landed in third
place with $4.1 million from 3,138 locations.
After three weeks on the big screen, the M.
Night Shyamalan movie has pocketed $38.5
million. The PG-13 film has amassed another $26
million at the international box office,
propelling its global tally to $65 million.
That's not a bad result since "Old" cost $18
million to produce. Unlike many summer releases,
such as "The Suicide Squad" and "Jungle Cruise,"
the latest mind-bender from Shyamalan is only
available to watch in theaters.
At the No. 4 spot, Disney and Marvel's "Black
Widow" pulled in $4 million from 3,100 theaters.
The superhero tentpole, starring Scarlett
Johansson as the eponymous Avenger, has earned
$174 million at the domestic box office and $359
million worldwide. It made at least an
additional $60 million on Disney Plus, where it
premiered on the same day as its theatrical
debut, but, like "Jungle Cruise," the studio
didn't report digital purchases after its
opening weekend.
With this weekend's total, "Black Widow" has
surpassed Universal's "Fast and Furious" sequel
"F9" to become the highest-grossing movie of the
year in North America. Still, it ranks as one of
the lowest-earning titles in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe. For that reason, "Black
Widow" has been in the center of a bitter,
public dispute after Johansson sued Disney,
alleging the film's day-and-date release on
Disney Plus was a breach of contract and cost
her tens of millions in backend deals. Disney
has claimed the actor received a healthy sum
tied to its launch on the company's streaming
service and asserted her lawsuit showed "callous
disregard for the horrific and prolonged global
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Rounding out the top five, Matt Damon's drama
"Stillwater" posted $2.86 million from 2,611
theaters. The well-reviewed Focus Features film,
about a man who travels to France to clear his
daughter's name, has crossed the $10 million
threshold, which is a nice accomplishment for an
indie film amid the pandemic.
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