Blue Beetle began life as a B-tier Warner Bros. production. Once intended to launch as a TV movie on HBO Max, it dodged Batgirl‘s sad fate and was promoted to a full theatrical release. The review embargo lifted yesterday and landed on a very promising 83 percent on the Tomatometer, indicating that this is a cut above recent disappointments like Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and the truly terrible The Flash.
So far the movie is punching above its weight, but can these successes translate to box office success? Barbie is still the queen of the box office and Blue Beetle faces a fierce battle to dethrone her, though with projections of a $30 million opening weekend it may do just that. Unfortunately, one fan spotted an ominous sight when they went to book their tickets:
Before everyone starts going all doom and gloom on Blue Beetle‘s box office future it’s worth underlining this is one fan looking at one theater, and the replies showed other venues showing a lot of sold seats. And yet, some can’t resist wheeling out the old meme that DC fans are loud online, but don’t show up to the movies:
Blue Beetle has also been adversely affected by the ongoing writers’ strike, meaning the cast cannot promote it. Charismatic star Xolo Maridueña has been left on the sidelines, with director Ángel Manuel Soto leading the press push as best he can.
All that said, Blue Beetle‘s streaming beginnings and relatively humble $125 million budget should guarantee it’ll make a profit, though after a string of embarrassing failures Warner Bros. will be praying that this superhero debut finally cuts through with audiences.