While the amount was less than hoped for by Warner Brothers, James Gunn’s reinvention of the Suicide Squad took home the top prize at this weekend’s box office race.
The new version of 2016’s first Suicide Squad film earned an estimated $26.5 million at the box office and undoubtedly added new subscriber’s to HBO Max, where the film aired for no additional charge on the streaming service. Suicide Squad did manage to set one pandemic era record as well, with a $4.1 million Thursday preview.
James Gunn’s latest scored very well with critics and fans alike with a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 86% Audience Score. Those polled by Cinemascore gave Suicide Squad a slightly less warm welcome with a grade of B+.
Most predictions earmarked the new DC Movie for a $30-$35 million debut, but many fans decided to watch the film at home, which is good news for HBO Max, but not for the film division. Others are wondering if the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country may have also kept people away, but at this point, it is probably too early to attribute the less then stellar numbers for Suicide Squad to this factor.
In other superhero news, Black Widow finally surpassed F9 for the domestic box office king title with a fourth place finish ($4 million) and a new $174.3 million total. Even with some contenders on the way, if COVID-19 infection rates are still high in the fall, Black Widow may hang onto the championship for longer than expected.
Last week’s winner, Jungle Cruise, dropped the expected amount and finished in second place with $15.69 million in receipts.
Be sure to come back next week when Don’t Breath 2 and Free Guy enter the tumultuous marketplace.