'Parasite' director Bong Joon Ho's new film, 'Mickey 17,' off to a slow box office start

Director Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi thriller “Mickey 17” had a dilatory commencement successful theaters this weekend, amid a sluggish past fewer weeks for the home container office.

The Warner Bros. Pictures movie opened successful the U.S. and Canada to $19.1 million, landing it successful archetypal place. But “Mickey 17” was expected to bring successful astir $21 cardinal successful its home opening weekend, according to container bureau expert estimates. (The movie has already been released internationally and has reaped a worldwide gross of $53.3 cardinal truthful far)

The movie stars Robert Pattinson arsenic a alleged “expendable” spaceship unit subordinate who dies again and again portion completing unsafe tasks. It received a 79% standing connected Rotten Tomatoes and is Bong’s archetypal movie since his Oscar-winning “Parasite” successful 2019.

Original sci-fi films tin beryllium a pugnacious sell, which could explicate the dilatory commencement for “Mickey 17,” said Paul Dergarabedian, elder media expert astatine media analytics steadfast Comscore. Though the movie is based connected a 2022 sci-fi caller by Edward Ashton called “Mickey7,” it’s not tied to widely-known intelligence spot arsenic was “Dune” oregon the “Alien” films.

“Mickey 17” besides faces the further unit of its hefty reported fund of $118 million.

But contempt the lower-than-expected opening weekend, Dergarabedian said the movie could physique steam implicit the coming weeks.

“It’s lone play one,” helium said. “It has got immoderate time, and it truly is not coming up against immoderate nonstop competition.”

Disney and Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World” came successful 2nd astatine the home container bureau this play with astir $8.5 cardinal successful its 4th play successful theaters. The movie has truthful acold grossed $176.6 cardinal successful the U.S. and Canada, with a planetary container bureau full of $370.8 million. Rounding retired the apical 5 this play was Focus Features’ play “Last Breath” with $4.2 million; Neon’s comedic fearfulness movie “The Monkey” with $3.9 million; and Studiocanal’s “Paddington successful Peru,” distributed by Sony, which grossed $3.85 million.

In the past fewer weeks, the container bureau has seen a crisp downturn compared with past year’s totals. This play was a 60% downturn compared with 2024, Dergarabedian said.

That’s partially owed to the blockbusters that came retired during this aforesaid play past twelvemonth including “Dune: Part Two,” which grossed $82.5 cardinal successful its opening weekend, and the animated “Kung Fu Panda 4,” which opened to astir $58 million. (At the aforesaid time, past week’s Oscar play container bureau was down 50% compared with the aforesaid play a twelvemonth earlier.)

But with films similar Disney’s “Snow White” and Paramount Pictures’ “Novocaine” headed to theaters soon, the container bureau could prime up, Dergarabedian said.

“There are large blockbusters connected the way,” helium said. “We person to beryllium diligent until they get here.”