Blue Beetle Being On Its Way To Bombing?

By Robert Scucci | Published

blue beetle
Blue Beetle

Now that the box office numbers are solidified for the last few DCEU releases, we’re wondering if Blue Beetle will be the much needed commercial success that we’re hoping for. According to Comic Basics, the upcoming film is following a few tough acts when you consider how Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash all have less than desirable numbers at the box office.

Though all of the above films made back their production budget, they’re still not quite in “break even” territory once advertising and distribution budgets are factored in, and Blue Beetle could very well experience a similar fate upon its theatrical release.

Comic Basics suggests that if Blue Beetle sees a $50-70 million box office gross on its opening weekend, and doesn’t see a huge second-weekend drop, then there’s hope that the feature will actually earn its keep.

For context, The Flash has a reported production budget of $200 million, and has earned a total of $267 million at the global box office as of this writing. This seems promising on the surface, but it’s worth noting that The Flash also had an advertising budget in the ballpark of $65 million (or more).

Collider Speculates that in order for The Flash to break even, the Ezra Miller starring film will have to pull in somewhere close $400 million to cover all expenses and turn a profit.

Fortunately, Blue Beetle has a relatively small budget, which in theory would be easier to earn back at the box office.

Even if Blue Beetle stands on its own as a solid superhero movie, its own merits still might not be enough to draw a large enough crowd to theaters so it could break even.

Comparing its finances to every other DCEU property illustrates the point that the upcoming film boasts one of the smaller budgets we’ve seen by a pretty hefty margin. With a reported budget of $120 million, Blue Beetle has potential to make back its money if it has a strong opening weekend based on this number alone.

blue beetle
Blue Beetle

Comic Basics suggests that if Blue Beetle sees a $50-70 million box office gross on its opening weekend, and doesn’t see a huge second-weekend drop, then there’s hope that the feature will actually earn its keep.

Blue Beetle is slated for a August 18 theatrical release, and we’ll probably have to wait and see how everything shakes out at the box office.

Following the ill-fated Flash while preceding the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may not do Blue Beetle any favors just based on its placement in the release slate. By now, it’s clear that The Flash flopped, and Lost Kingdom’s release has been rescheduled a number of times due to poorly received test-screenings, and subsequent reshoots.

Even if Blue Beetle stands on its own as a solid superhero movie, its own merits still might not be enough to draw a large enough crowd to theaters so it could break even.

Blue Beetle is slated for a August 18 theatrical release, and we’ll probably have to wait and see how everything shakes out at the box office. With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s December release, we’ll see the end of the DCEU as we know it. It’s our hope that we’ll see a changing of the tides with Blue Beetle and Lost Kingdom.