August Arrives With James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’
August is here, and with its first weekend comes just one new wide releaseThe Suicide Squad, the follow-up to Suicide Squad, which had the biggest August opening ever ($133.7 million) in 2016 in the same frame. A lot has changed since then, and that opening is bigger than any single weekend’s combined box office total this year. While the box office does not seem to have taken a hit due to concerns over rising Covid cases in recent weeks, recovery has still been slow, and expectations are muted for the latest film in the DC Extended Universe.
James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) steps into the director’s chair for the standalone installment which is somewhere in between being a sequel and a reboot. It sees the return of Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, and Viola Davis, but otherwise it’s a new cast of actors and characters. Gone is Will Smith as Deadshot and Jared Leto as The Joker, in is Idris Elba as Bloodsport and John Cena as Peacemaker, not to mention Sylvester Stallone voicing King Shark. Gunn’s film also sports a more irreverent comic tone and a hard "R" rating.
The Suicide Squad is currently at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best reviewed film of the DCEU, of Gunn’s career, and of the summer’s wide releases. This is in stark contrast to 2016’s Suicide Squad, which had a 26% Tomatometer, making it the worst reviewed film in the DCEU. That didn’t stop it from being a hit, though, making $325.1 million domestically and $746.8 million worldwide (it was Will Smith’s best domestic opener, second best domestic grosser, and third best worldwide grosser).
Interest in the franchise didn’t translate to huge box office success for its sole spinoff Birds of Prey, where Margot Robbie starred as Harley Quinn. Despite positive reviews (79% Tomatometer), the R-rated film opened to only $33 million in the U.S. and it finished at $84.1 million, bringing in an additional $117.7 million internationally. It released in early February 2020, and Covid definitely impacted its international box office, but many markets were only minimally affected and it was clear that Covid or otherwise it was a box office disappointment.
Domestically, Birds of Prey looks like a good comp for The Suicide Squad. With no Will Smith, no Joker, and possibly waning interest in the franchise, it’d be wrong to expect the film to perform like its predecessor even in a pre-pandemic environment. Add into the equation the current box-office climate and The Suicide Squad’s same-day HBO Max availability, and you don’t have the kind of opening you’d expect for a $185 million budget film. Still, the buzz is strong with its great reviews, and it is pacing above the summer’s other big blockbusters in pre-release page views on IMDb. It has a good shot at becoming the biggest opener for a Warner Bros/HBO Max day-and-date release (Godzilla vs. Kong and Space Jam: A New Legacy both opened to $31 million), as well as Warner’s biggest opener and grosser since Joker in 2019.
The Suicide Squad opened in five markets last weekend, most notably the U.K. where it was number one with $4.7M, only around one-third of Suicide Squad’s $14.7 million opening. The U.K. was the largest territory for the film outside of the U.S., with $43.7 million. It rolls out around the globe this weekend in open markets with the exception of Japan (coming next weekend) and China. Suicide Squad did not have a China release, and it is unclear if The Suicide Squad will either.
In limited release is Annette, an arthouse musical from Amazon, which is theatrical exclusive for two weeks before its Prime debut. Starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, the Cannes 2021 opener is the first English language film by director Leos Carax (Holy Motors). The music and story are by Ron and Russell Mael of the music group Sparks, recently the subject of Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers.
Also opening in limited release (as well as VOD) is John and the Hole from IFC, starring Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, and Taissa Farmiga. The film was chosen as an official selection at Cannes 2020 before the festival’s cancellation, and it finally premiered at Sundance 2021.
James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) steps into the director’s chair for the standalone installment which is somewhere in between being a sequel and a reboot. It sees the return of Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, and Viola Davis, but otherwise it’s a new cast of actors and characters. Gone is Will Smith as Deadshot and Jared Leto as The Joker, in is Idris Elba as Bloodsport and John Cena as Peacemaker, not to mention Sylvester Stallone voicing King Shark. Gunn’s film also sports a more irreverent comic tone and a hard "R" rating.
The Suicide Squad is currently at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best reviewed film of the DCEU, of Gunn’s career, and of the summer’s wide releases. This is in stark contrast to 2016’s Suicide Squad, which had a 26% Tomatometer, making it the worst reviewed film in the DCEU. That didn’t stop it from being a hit, though, making $325.1 million domestically and $746.8 million worldwide (it was Will Smith’s best domestic opener, second best domestic grosser, and third best worldwide grosser).
Interest in the franchise didn’t translate to huge box office success for its sole spinoff Birds of Prey, where Margot Robbie starred as Harley Quinn. Despite positive reviews (79% Tomatometer), the R-rated film opened to only $33 million in the U.S. and it finished at $84.1 million, bringing in an additional $117.7 million internationally. It released in early February 2020, and Covid definitely impacted its international box office, but many markets were only minimally affected and it was clear that Covid or otherwise it was a box office disappointment.
Domestically, Birds of Prey looks like a good comp for The Suicide Squad. With no Will Smith, no Joker, and possibly waning interest in the franchise, it’d be wrong to expect the film to perform like its predecessor even in a pre-pandemic environment. Add into the equation the current box-office climate and The Suicide Squad’s same-day HBO Max availability, and you don’t have the kind of opening you’d expect for a $185 million budget film. Still, the buzz is strong with its great reviews, and it is pacing above the summer’s other big blockbusters in pre-release page views on IMDb. It has a good shot at becoming the biggest opener for a Warner Bros/HBO Max day-and-date release (Godzilla vs. Kong and Space Jam: A New Legacy both opened to $31 million), as well as Warner’s biggest opener and grosser since Joker in 2019.
The Suicide Squad opened in five markets last weekend, most notably the U.K. where it was number one with $4.7M, only around one-third of Suicide Squad’s $14.7 million opening. The U.K. was the largest territory for the film outside of the U.S., with $43.7 million. It rolls out around the globe this weekend in open markets with the exception of Japan (coming next weekend) and China. Suicide Squad did not have a China release, and it is unclear if The Suicide Squad will either.
In limited release is Annette, an arthouse musical from Amazon, which is theatrical exclusive for two weeks before its Prime debut. Starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, the Cannes 2021 opener is the first English language film by director Leos Carax (Holy Motors). The music and story are by Ron and Russell Mael of the music group Sparks, recently the subject of Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers.
Also opening in limited release (as well as VOD) is John and the Hole from IFC, starring Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, and Taissa Farmiga. The film was chosen as an official selection at Cannes 2020 before the festival’s cancellation, and it finally premiered at Sundance 2021.
