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“Blue Beetle,” the newest DC movie, struggles at its Thursday night previews.
It earned $3.3 million, less than both “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash.” “The Flash” was especially costly, becoming one of history’s biggest box office bombs. “Blue Beetle” is expected to make $25-32 million in its opening weekend, similar to “Shazam 2.”
Both movies had comparable budgets, hinting they might face the same box office fate.
“Blue Beetle,” starring DC’s first Latino hero, seeks success through positive word of mouth.
To thrive, “Blue Beetle” needs strong audience support and limited competition in theaters.
2023 has been a roller-coaster year for DC Films.
DC Films is like a superhero itself. They make movies that tell stories about superheroes. This year, they hoped to make many people happy with their movies.
DC wanted to have big hits with their movies. They made some new films like “Black Adam”, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”, “The Flash”, “Blue Beetle”, and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”. They wanted everyone to love these movies and make money from them.
But, not all plans work out.
Some movies didn’t make people as happy as they hoped. “Black Adam” had problems and even caused some big bosses at DC to leave. Also, big actors like Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill said they wouldn’t be in DC movies anymore. Then “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash” also didn’t do well.
People said “The Flash” was one of the movies that didn’t make much money ever!
James Gunn, who helps lead DC, said “The Flash” was one of the best superhero movies. David Zaslav, another important person at DC, also loved the movie. But still, not many people went to see it.
They had spent a lot of money to make and advertise this movie, but not enough people came to watch.
Then came “Blue Beetle”.
DC didn’t spend as much money on this movie. They first thought of only showing it on a TV app called Max. But later, they decided to show it in big movie theaters too.
Because of some problems in Hollywood, the actors from “Blue Beetle” couldn’t talk about the movie on TV shows or in magazines. This made it hard to let people know about the movie.
Even though “Blue Beetle” got good reviews and people said they liked it, it still didn’t make a lot of money. This was sad for DC because they hoped it would do better. People who saw it said it was a great movie.
On a website called Rotten Tomatoes, 77 out of 100 people liked it!
DC Films is not giving up.
They have plans to start fresh. James Gunn and Peter Safran, two people who decide what movies DC makes, are thinking of new ideas. They want to make new movies about Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
They hope these new movies will make everyone happy and also make a lot of money.
The next movie DC is making is “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”.
But, some people who saw it early said it wasn’t very good. There’s even a rumor that the actor who plays Aquaman, Jason Momoa, might play a different character in another DC movie. Everyone is waiting to see what happens next.
Even though 2023 was a tough year for DC Films, they learned a lot. Like superheroes in their movies, DC is strong and doesn’t give up. They hope to make better movies in the future and make everyone happy.
James Gunn, a big boss at DC, said, “The Flash” was one of the best superhero movies. David Zaslav, another leader at DC, called “The Flash” the “best superhero movie” he’s ever seen.
How will the challenges faced by DC Films in 2023 impact the future narrative and production decisions of superhero movies in the industry?