Topping the box office, “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” still fell far below projections. Analysts had expected the film’s domestic opening to reach around $50 million; instead it brought in $33.3 million.
Distributed by Warner Bros., the movie stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the DC Comics figure and sometimes girlfriend of the Joker. The runaway success Warner Bros. had with “Joker” last year — it grossed over $1 billion worldwide — helped set expectations high.
Directed by Cathy Yan, “Birds of Prey” is a spinoff of the violent ensemble superhero film “Suicide Squad.” That movie opened to about $134 million in 2016, even though critics panned it. “Birds of Prey” received warmer reviews (its current Rotten Tomatoes score is 81 percent fresh), and ticket buyers gave it a B+ grade in CinemaScore exit polls. That reception didn’t translate into success.
With a reported budget of $84.5 million, “Birds of Prey” brought in an additional estimated $48 million overseas this weekend, according to the studio, which lifts its total weekend sales to about $81 million.
[Read our critic’s review of “Birds of Prey.”]
The film dethroned the action-comedy “Bad Boys for Life” (Sony), which fell to second place. “Bad Boys for Life” made an estimated $12 million in domestic sales this weekend, its fourth in theaters and its first not in the top spot.
Third place went to Universal’s “1917,” a World War I action movie from Sam Mendes, released in most theaters Jan. 10. The only Oscars contender in the top five, it sold an estimated $9 million in domestic tickets this weekend according to Comscore, which compiles box office data.
Rounding out the top five, Universal’s adventure movie “Dolittle” was in its fourth weekend and brought in an estimated $6.7 million; and Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level,” an action-comedy that managed an estimated $5.5 million, despite being in its ninth weekend.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
