Barbie and Gran Turismo Vie for Box Office Lead as Blue Beetle Struggles Against DCEU Curse
In the weekend box office race, the veteran Barbie and newcomer Gran Turismo are neck and neck, while the reigning champion Blue Beetle faces challenges posed by the DCEU’s track record. Unless Blue Beetle manages to generate substantial momentum before the weekend, it’s likely to drop to third place.
As Barbie continues to shine with over $1.3 billion in worldwide earnings, it approaches the weekend with estimates around $12 million domestically and a similar figure internationally. My expectation is that Barbie will surpass expectations in the U.S., landing in the $14-15 million range, contributing to a global tally of approximately $28 million.
Looking ahead, several major releases are expected to delay their release dates later this year. This trend, already underway, will reduce competition for Barbie as it aims to achieve a remarkable $1.5 billion finish. Warner Bros. Discovery could certainly benefit from Barbie’s financial success, given the struggles of the DCEU. Their superhero releases in 2023, including Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle, are poised to achieve a combined worldwide box office of around $520 million.
Disney also faces challenges this year, with only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 achieving blockbuster success out of six major releases. While some films, such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Little Mermaid, and Elemental, underperformed against expectations, others like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Haunted Mansion were major disappointments.
While 2023 has witnessed a few box office hits, including Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, and Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse, many films have fallen short. The industry’s narrative often masks the fact that only a handful of movies have truly excelled amidst numerous failures and underperformers.
Barbie’s impressive contribution, along with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, and Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse, have helped prop up the 2023 box office, counteracting the disappointments. Despite the challenges faced by the film industry this year, some successful performers have buoyed the overall numbers.
The Way of Water played a significant role, contributing around $1 billion to the 2023 box office, with $283 million domestically. Combined, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Avatar 2 have amassed over $3 billion in global earnings this year. The cumulative worldwide box office stands at $6.4 billion after nearly eight months, and the boost from Avatar 2 was particularly instrumental in reaching this figure.
If there were doubts about a Barbie sequel, it’s time to revise them. With Barbie’s potential to reach $1.5 billion and strong merchandising results, it’s highly unlikely that Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery will pass up the opportunity to further explore the franchise potential of this year’s blockbuster success.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Chronicle Hub journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.