The Suicide Squad On Track For Huge Opening Weekend | Screen Rant

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is set to take the box-office by storm when it opens in theaters later this week, according to the latest estimates. Gunn’s take on Task Force X, while retaining some elements from David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad, is a relatively standalone affair that sees Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) band of convicts dispatched to Corto Maltese to destroy a Nazi-era base housing the mysterious Project Starfish. Returning from the original film alongside Davis are Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, as well as a host of newcomers including Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, John Cena’s Peacemaker, and Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher II.

Thus far, The Suicide Squad has been met with critical acclaim and is currently sitting on 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, a significant improvement on its predecessor which sits on a paltry 26%. Critics have praised the film’s blend of gory violence and irreverent, dark humor. As with all of Warner Bros’ releases so far this year, Gunn’s film is set to release on August 6th both theatrically and via HBO Max, with the studio hoping it will drive new members towards the streaming service.

Related: The Suicide Squad Might Set A Superhero Movie Record On Rotten Tomatoes

Already released in a number of overseas territories where it earned $7 million, including $4.7 million from the UK alone, The Suicide Squad’s domestic sales figures look set to eclipse it by a significant margin. According to Variety, estimates suggest that the film is on track to earn $30 million dollars across its first three days. However, due to having no competition in the form of other new releases, some experts are allegedly calling this a modest estimate, expecting The Suicide Squad’s box-office revenue to surpass $40 million over the opening weekend.

While both estimated figures certainly pale in comparison to the opening figures for Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which accrued $133 million over its opening weekend, one has to take into account a significant decline in cinema attendance as a result of the pandemic. Levels are still nowhere near what they once were with Jungle Cruise, a huge marquee release for Disney which opened last weekend, earning $34.2 million domestically. Ordinarily, this would be considered a flop for a Disney film on its opening weekend, but with the current benchmarks, it’s a success as it beat its estimated $20 to $30 million. Fortunately, Disney was able to fall back on streaming revenue, which accounted for an additional $30 million that it doesn’t have to share with theaters.

It’s likely that Warner Bros are hoping for a similar outcome in the form of a drive towards HBO Max subscriptions. Like Premier Access on Disney+, The Suicide Squad will only be available on HBO Max to those who subscribe to the service’s $14.99 ad-free version, which should account for what would ordinarily be an incredibly low box-office return. That said, Warner Bros. has yet to release information on whether their recent spate of hybrid releases have actually increased sign-ups. Still, it looks as though The Suicide Squad is set to dwarf its competition and deliver strong numbers that should provide a decent return for both theaters and Warner Bros., despite concerns over the Delta variant of Covid-19.

More: When Does The Suicide Squad Fit Into The DCEU Timeline?

Source: Variety

About The Author