{"id":397433,"date":"2023-08-21T22:57:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T22:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=397433"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Blue-Beetle-unseats-Barbie-atop-box-office-ending-four-week-reign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Blue-Beetle-unseats-Barbie-atop-box-office-ending-four-week-reign\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Blue Beetle\u2019 unseats \u2018Barbie\u2019 atop box office, ending four-week reign"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK<\/strong> (AP)\u2014The DC superhero film \u201cBlue Beetle\u201d led weekend ticket sales with a modest $25.4 million opening, according to studio estimates Sunday, dethroning \u201cBarbie\u201d from the top spot after a record-setting run that left movie theaters colored pink for a month.<\/p>\n

The \u201cBarbie\u201d phenomenon is far from over. Greta Gerwig\u2019s film, which earlier this week became the highest grossing Warner Bros. release ever domestically, nearly managed to stay No. 1 again with $21.5 million in its fifth weekend. It\u2019s up to $567.3 million in North America and an eye-popping $1.28 billion globally.<\/p>\n

The other half of \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d also continues to perform remarkably well for a movie so far into its run.<\/p>\n

Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cOppenheimer\u201d took in $10.6 million in its fifth week. With a $285.2 million domestic total, \u201cOppenheimer\u201d now owns the distinction of being the biggest box-office hit never to land No. 1 at the weekend box office. The previous record-holder for that unlikely stat is 2016\u2019s \u201cSing,\u201d which grossed $270.3 million in the shadow of \u201cRogue One: A Star Wars Story\u201d and \u201cHidden Figures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Universal Pictures\u2019 \u201cOppenheimer\u201d has done even better overseas. Its global gross stands at an estimated $717.8 million through Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlue Beetle,\u201d starring Xolo Maridue\u00f1a, came in on the lower side of expectations and notched one of the lower debuts for a DC Comics movie. Though earlier planned as a streaming-only release, Warner Bros. elected to put \u201cBlue Beetle,\u201d the first DC movie to star a Latino superhero, into theaters in the late summer, a typically quiet period at the box office.<\/p>\n

The production price tag of about $105 million was lower for \u201cBlue Beetle\u201d than the average superhero film. It\u2019s one of the last releases produced under an earlier regime at DC Studios, which James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins of last year.<\/p>\n

The film, directed by \u00c1ngel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, drew solid reviews\u2014certainly better than the three previous DC releases this year (\u201cThe Flash,\u201d \u201cBlack Adam\u201d and \u201cShazam! Fury of the Gods\u201d). \u201cBlue Beetle\u201d (76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) is the rare comic-book film to put a Hispanic cast front and center.<\/p>\n

But it also faced some tough luck, and not just in the unexpected staying power of \u201cBarbie\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d Southern California was bracing Sunday for Hurricane Hilary\u2014potentially dampening ticket sales in the region. (Los Angeles was still its top market.) And like recent releases, \u201cBlue Beetle,\u201d which added $18 million internationally, didn\u2019t have its cast available to promote the movie due to the ongoing actors strike.<\/p>\n

Universal\u2019s raunchy R-rated canine comedy \u201cStrays\u201d showed even less bite. The film, with a voice cast including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, landed in fifth place with $8.4 million. Comedies have generally struggled in theaters in recent years, but \u201cStrays\u201d had it particularly rough given that its starry cast was unavailable.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrays\u201d was very narrowly bested by \u201cTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.\u201d The Paramount Pictures animated release earned $8.4 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $88.1 million.<\/p>\n

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Xolo Maridue\u00f1a in a scene from \u201cBlue Beetle.\u201d<\/p>\n

-AP
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