It was a weekend of good news and bad news for “Blue Beetle,” the latest superhero flick to hit North American theaters and the first live-action film to revolve around a Latino protagonist. Industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday that the DC Films and Warner Bros. production topped the charts Friday through Sunday, even displacing Pink Queen Barbie on the throne. However, its estimated $25.4 million (Rs. 2.11 crore) gross is “the lowest DC superhero debut of this era”, save for 2021’s loss-making Wonder Woman 1984 (the sequel to Wonder Woman).
“Blue Beetle” stars Xolo Mariduena, a 22-year-old American actor of Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian ancestry, as a recent college graduate whose body is possessed by mysterious scarabs that give him superhuman strength . Analyst David A. Gross said that while “Blue Beetle” grossed only a third of the average new superhero movie, it received good reviews and strong overseas prospects.
According to Variety, “Barbie” grossed $21.5 (roughly Rs 1.78 crore) in its fifth week of release, “a huge hit in its current theatrical run”. The Warner Bros. fantasy comedy has grossed an eye-popping $1.27 billion (Rs 1,055.8 crore) worldwide so far. Universal’s Oppenheimer was third with $10.6 million (Rs. 880 crore), also entering its fifth week. The historical drama about the origin of the first atomic bomb has crossed the $700 million (Rs 5,819 crore) mark at the global box office.
In fourth place was Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which grossed $8.4 million. (approximately Rs 70 crore) Its massive voice cast includes Maya Rudolph, Ayo Edbiri, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cooper and Paul Rudd. In fifth place was Universal Pictures’ new talking dog comedy “The Wanderer” with $8.3 million (Rs 690 crore), for a film with a budget of $46 million (Rs 382 crore). The start is worrisome.
Rounding out the top 10 are:
The Meg 2: The Trench ($6.7 million)
Talk to Me ($3.2 million)
Haunted House ($3 million)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 ($2.7 million)
The Last Voyage of the Demeter ($2.5 million)
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