Hollywood
Warner Bros. & DC's 'The Suicide Squad' Underperformed Amid Delta Variant Concerns And Hybrid Release On HBO Max
Los Angeles, August 9, 2021: Warner Bros. R-rated comic book adaptation, The Suicide Squad, has had a disappointing debut at the domestic box office. The James Gunn directorial collects only $26.5 million from 4,002 North American theatres, $3.5 million short from Warner Bros. prediction of $30 million domestic debut. ## There are many factors that went against the film's strong opening, including the growing concerns of the delta variant of the covid-19, the Warner Bros. film's hybrid release on HBO Max at no extra cost to subscribers, and its R-rating. The makers cost $185 million on film's making, and its low performance will surely make Warner Bros. rethink its simultaneous release strategy. ## At the international box office, 'The Suicide Squad ' added another $45.7 million from 70 overseas territories, bringing its global tally to $72.2 million. The standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016), opened with largely positive reviews from critics and audiences but it fell way short to reprise the success of the original movie. ## The original Suicide Squad had a massive $133.7 million opening weekend at the North American box office. Despite those eye-popping numbers, critics and audiences were left unimpressed by the film, though it ended up grossing $746 million worldwide. Of course, that film didn`t open during a deadly pandemic and wasn`t offered simultaneously on HBO Max. ## While it's still unclear how many HBO Max customers watched the film at home—and how many more were enticed to sign up for the streaming service - it is clear that the film's $185 million production budget is going to be tough to turn into the sort of huge moneymaker that comic-book movies were guaranteed to be prior to the pandemic. ## The Suicide Squad stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Peter Capaldi. In the film, a task force of convicts are sent to destroy evidence of the giant alien Starro.## Stay tuned...
