Bong Joon Ho‘s “Mickey 17,” the first of Warner Bros.‘ eclectic, pricey 2025 slate of original films from name-brand directors like Ryan Coogler and Paul Thomas Anderson, isn’t getting the warmest arrival at the box office. The sci-fi comedy, starring Robert Pattinson as a pair of interstellar doppelgangers, earned $7.7 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,807 locations.
That kick-off puts “Mickey 17” on pace to land within projections for an opening weekend north of $18 million. Whether or not it can fulfill that forecast though, it’s going to be a slow start for a film sporting a $118 million production budget. Add in marketing and distribution costs and the Warner Bros. release will likely struggle to enter profitability in theaters, which could take more than $275 million in global admissions.
Playing in Imax and other premium large-format auditoriums, “Mickey 17” will easily top domestic charts. But the film won’t open big enough to shake theaters out of a lingering lull that’s seen “Captain America: Brave New World” stay No. 1 at the box office for nearly a month, despite drastic week-to-week drops.
Reviews have been positive for “Mickey 17,” though not as superlatively euphoric as Bong Joon Ho’s last feature, the Oscar-winning 2019 thriller “Parasite,” which earned more than $262 million worldwide and ranks as the highest-grossing Korean film in history. Following up that breakthrough success, Bong teamed with Warner Bros. for “Mickey 17” and got a greenlight back in January 2022, three months prior to the company’s merger with Discovery, Inc.
Audience sentiment is more measured for “Mickey,” with moviegoer pollster Cinema Score turning in a “B” grade among ticketbuyers. That’s not exactly negative, but far from the glowing response that can indicate a sustained theatrical run.
Along with Pattinson, playing multiple, Joe Pera-soundalike duplicates of an expendable space explorer, “Mickey 17” also stars Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, Toni Colette and Steven Yeun. Plan B is a producer on the film, an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s novel “Mickey7.”
Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” will finally slip to second in its fourth weekend of release after earning $2.1 million on Friday, bumping its domestic total to $170.1 million. The film is far-and-away the year’s biggest title in North America, though it remains one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lowest-grossing entries (currently ranked 32nd among 35 installments). At a hefty production budget of $180 million, that couldn’t have been the desired result.
Third goes to Focus Features’ “Last Breath,” which added $1.16 million Friday and looks to slip 49% in its second frame for a $4.1 million weekend. The underwater rescue thriller will get above a $14 million domestic total through Sunday.
Neon’s “The Monkey” is fourth, turning in a better hold than its dramatic second-weekend drop at the top of the month. The horror comedy earned about $1.1 million Friday and looks to fall 39% for a $3.9 million weekend. Domestic total will hit $31 million through Sunday, a great result for the small-budget Stephen King adaptation.
“Paddington in Peru” isn’t far behind, with the Sony release adding $900,000 on Friday. It’s looking like $3.8 million for the fourth weekend of the StudioCanal production, which has a shot at passing a $37 million domestic total this outing. That’s pacing a touch ahead of 2017’s release of “Paddington 2.”
Also opening this weekend, Angel Studios has “Rule Breakers,” a PG-rated drama about four girls who form the first Afghan robotics team. Rivals have the film opening in ninth, with $600,000 on Friday from 2,044 locations. Reviews are positive and CinemaScore turned in an “A” grade, a typical glowing response for Angel’s brand of uplifting production.
Meanwhile, Vertical Entertainment has Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich’s “In the Lost Lands” in 1,370 locations. The post-apocalyptic Western earned a mere $380,000 on Friday and will struggle to cross $1 million in its opening weekend. The $55 million Constantin Film production was fully financed out of international sales.
And after its Academy Awards victory last Sunday, Neon has expanded “Anora” again, now playing back in 1,938 theaters. The five-time Oscar-winning Sean Baker drama is bumping more than 500% this weekend and looks to earn another $1.7 million or so. That’s much more than a cherry-on-top for the film, which had earned about $16.5 million domestic box office thus far. Months after its initial release, it will now inch past “The Hurt Locker” ($17 million) to avoid staying the lowest-grossing modern best picture winner in North America (not counting the COVID-impacted “Nomadland” and Apple release of “CODA,” of course).
