Refresh for latest…: After debuting to $6.7M from five overseas markets last weekend, Warner Bros/DC’s The Suicide Squad moved into wide offshore release this session, taking $35M from 69 total international box office markets. This is a touch below the like-for-like opening of 2020’s disappointing Birds Of Prey ($36.6M at today’s rates) and under the $40M we were seeing coming into the frame. The offshore cume is now $45.7M and the global total, with domestic’s debut, is $72.2M.
Still, this well-reviewed James Gunn-helmed franchise entry had a strong -25% hold in its already opened overseas markets, and notably landed No. 1 bows in Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Italy (Japan is due to release on August 13). Nevertheless, and despite positive reactions, hopes were higher for The Suicide Squad and there are several factors contributing to the lackluster start.
Closures in Australia and Mexico and the introduction of the health pass requirement in Italy this weekend impacted the debut. The latter market was down overall by an estimated 70%. In France, there is still confusion over (and contempt for) the health pass while competition from local titles was felt there as well as in Germany and Korea. The Suicide Squad, whose title doesn’t do enough to delineate it from the 2016 movie, is also available on HBOMax domestically making piracy another contributing factor — just as we’ve seen on all recent day-and-date films. What we haven’t seen recently is a purely theatrical global start for a major title. Next weekend’s Free Guy from Disney will be one to watch, but will also be dealing with the continually shifting Covid situation.
This weekend, all of South East Asia (save Singapore) remained closed — although the strongest DC markets are traditionally in Europe and Latin America. The third Harley Quinn movie was led by Russia’s $4.2M, tracking ahead of Black Widow by 16% and Birds Of Prey by 30%. The UK dipped 32% for a $10.8M cume at No. 1 in the sophomore session. Korea came in at $2.6M behind local title Escape From Mogadishu (which has cumed $14.5M to date) and with a start that is 9% above Wonder Woman 1984 and 28% over Birds Of Prey. Germany landed a No. 2 start of $2.2M, Mexico was a clear No. 1 with $2M and Brazil grossed $1.5M for No. 1 with 62% of the top five films. Spain’s $1.3M debut was No. 1 and 16% above WW84. France dipped 28% to cume $3.4M (coming in behind new local entry OSS 117: From Africa With Love which is estimated at about $4.4M) and Italy’s No. 1 start was $1.1M in the depressed market.
Shot entirely with IMAX cameras, TSS grossed $2.45M on 319 offshore IMAX screens.
The films in this DC series are not released in China where the session was led again by local Donnie Yen title Raging Fire with an estimated $21.5M for an $83M cume, of which $4.75M is from IMAX. China has seen some increased Covid restrictions in the past week and next week’s release of anticipated blockbuster The Battle At Lake Changjin has been postponed.
Meanwhile, Disney’s Jungle Cruise (which is still awaiting a China date) saw a 44% drop from opening weekend with midweeks having risen from Monday-Wednesday. The Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt-starrer added $15.1M in 49 material markets this session for a $56.5M international cume and $121.8M global. The Top 5 overseas so far are the UK ($8.5M), Russia ($5.9M), France ($4.2M), Japan ($4M) and Saudi Arabia ($2.7M).
Universal’s F9 had a $12M weekend in 61 offshore markets including a muscular $6.8M start in Japan which is in line with Fast 7 and Hobbs & Shaw. The international cume is now $490.3M with $661.4M global. The IMAX portion of the worldwide total is $38M.
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