James Gunn’s DCU is currently going through a rough patch as a result of the notable box office failures of Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. And now, with Blue Beetle’s poor box office performance, DC Studios’ co-CEO needs to act to save the DC franchise.
The box office performance of Ángel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle is slightly improving for DC, but not significantly. Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), also known as Blue Beetle, joined the cast of the DC Universe film, which was released in theaters on August 18.
Initially, the movie was able to claim the top spot with its domestic earnings on the first day, but it is now anticipated that it will experience a significant decline in viewership compared to its opening weekend.
Additionally, Blue Beetle will likely make just $6 million more than one of the most despised DC films, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which also bombed at the box office.
James Gunn’s DCU Continues to Underperform at the Box Office?
Just to be clear, Blue Beetle, the first live-action superhero movie with a Latino lead, is receiving positive reviews from both critics and viewers. It has also proven to be a worthy addition to the canon of the entire DC Extended Universe. However, the positive reviews and adoring fans will not provide much of a break for the DC Universe, which has had a challenging year overall.
Starting with The Flash, which finished its theatrical run with a worldwide box office of $269 million, was also a pretty poor performance considering its estimated $268.5 million budget. The film was released amid intense controversy surrounding its star, Ezra Miller. On the other hand, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, regarded as one of the most hated DC films, underperformed with only $134 million worldwide.
Then, Black Adam was also a letdown, grossing $393 million globally.
Xolo Maridueña‘s Blue Beetle has earned $81.8 million worldwide as of August 27, with $46.3 million in North America (the United States and Canada) and $35.5 million in other countries. This is the newest unsettling sign for DCU.
Moreover, it is expected that Blue Beetle will only make $6 million more than David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods (one of the most despised DC films).
Zachary Levi starrer film only earned $134 million worldwide, and Blue Beetle‘s theatrical run could end with $140 million.
Read More: Canceling Snyderverse Hits James Gunn Hard as Blue Beetle Suffers Catastrophic Box Office Drop
James Gunn’s DC Needs Another Hit?
As it enters a new era, the DC Universe is finding itself on shaky ground, and Blue Beetle is having trouble making back its production costs. James Gunn and Peter Safran, the new co-CEOs and co-chairmen of DC Studios, are currently revitalizing the franchise.
DC most likely needs another huge hit to get things going in order to properly launch this new phase of the franchise.
DC still has the potential to make a ton of money at the box office, despite their recent string of underwhelming films. The Batman, which was released in March 2022 and peaked at number seven on the global box office chart that year, served as evidence of this. Fortunately for the franchise, many of their official upcoming films have the potential to draw this kind of crowd.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the upcoming film, has the benefit of being a sequel to the franchise’s most successful entry to date.
While the success of Amber Heard’s film is still up in the air, the franchise also has Joker: Folie à Deux and James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy on the horizon. Both movies feature notable actors and worthy productions, and they may be able to help DC Studios recover from the slump Blue Beetle is currently in.
