Bong Joon Ho’s new science fiction movie, Mickey 17, opened at No. 1 at the North American box office. The film, starring Robert Pattinson, earned $19.1 million in its opening weekend, surpassing Captain America: Brave New World, which had held the top spot for three weeks.
Globally, Mickey 17 has grossed $53.3 million, with $34.2 million from international markets. However, the film is far from being profitable. It had a production cost of $118 million, excluding millions spent on marketing and promotions.
Following a speech by filmmaker Sean Baker at the Oscars advocating for the importance of theatrical releases, Mickey 17 serves as an example of the challenges faced by original films in today’s market.
Despite being an original movie from an Oscar-winning director, featuring a major star and a large budget, it did not attract audiences in the way the studio had hoped.
The film was initially scheduled for release in March 2024 but was delayed due to the Hollywood strikes. Based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 stars Pattinson as a character who repeatedly dies on missions and is reprinted. The film also features Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
In its opening, Mickey 17 played in 3,807 theaters across North America, with its highest earnings in New York and Los Angeles. Nearly half of its weekend box office came from premium large format screens, including IMAX. Internationally, the film performed well in South Korea, earning an estimated $14.6 million.
Jeff Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., noted that 47% of viewers saw the film in premium formats, showing strong interest from moviegoers. He also mentioned that Bong Joon Ho is one of the few directors whose films drive cinema attendance, alongside names like Denis Villeneuve, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan.
Although Mickey 17 faces no major competition for the next few weeks, the studio is planning for the long haul, hoping for sustained interest.
Captain America: Brave New World took second place, grossing $8.5 million domestically and $9.2 million internationally, bringing its global total to $370.8 million.
Other films in the top five included Last Breath, The Monkey, and Paddington in Peru. Newcomers such as In the Lost Lands, a fantasy film starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, and Rule Breakers from Angel Studios, about Afghan girls on a robotics team, also debuted.
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