“Black Widow” made nearly $40 million on its opening day. However, that was a month ago — back when the Delta variant was still introducing itself to North America. Today, as areas of the U.S. see infection and hospitalization rates that rival the worst days of the pandemic, that’s a likely factor in the disinterest of the theatrical audience. There’s reason to believe the “Squad” audience might disregard rising Covid rates: Younger and more dedicated to the scope and experience of theatrical presentation, they’re less likely to take advantage of HBO Max availability. Beyond that core group, however, are fans who would be grateful for the opportunity to see it at home.
Finally, there is a possible third impediment, this one self-inflicted: the film’s title. Critics and fans praised James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.” The same groups largely reviled David Ayer’s 2016 “Suicide Squad.” With nearly identical titles, it might have been wiser to heavily market the difference in the films. However, that would mean tacit acknowledgement that the first film — which opened to $133 million — was a creative misfire. Warner Bros. “The Suicide Squad” has a strong ensemble cast but lacks the big-name actors of the first film, which included Will Smith and Jared Leto. Beyond that, in a summer of nonstop franchise titles and sequels, perhaps the public has had its fill. The weekend total of $65 million is 49 percent of the same weekend in 2019. With the “Black Widow” weekend dropping out of our four-week rolling comparisons (no single week proves much), the relative performance to 2020 drops to 44 percent, compared to 55 percent last weekend. From Friday to Saturday, “The Suicide Squad” dropped 32 percent, less than “Black Widow” (40 percent, with a $29.99 surcharge for Disney+ subscribers to watch at home) and more than the theater-exclusive “F9” (25 percent drop). The 2016 “Suicide Squad” fell 41 percent on its second full day. Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” also available on Disney+ for $29.99, dropped 55 percent in its second weekend. That’s a range we’d expect even with standard theatrical windows. “Black Widow,” which dropped 68 percent in its second weekend, saw a decent hold in its fifth weekend with a 38 percent drop — the smallest in the top 10. It is now the biggest domestic film of the year at $174 million.
Reports elsewhere suggest most theaters will see a weekend total below $1,000. A very rough estimate suggests “Annette” made less than $250,000 on its opening weekend and likely a good deal lower. The Top 10
12 Might Orphans (Sony Pictures Classics) – Week 9 $18,717 in 42 theaters (-8); Cumulative: $3,506,000 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
