Disappointing Box Office Performance of ‘The Suicide Squad’

Currently, the most recent DC superhero movie directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad, a follow-up to the 2016 film with a similar title, holds a commendable 91% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a decent 84% audience score. Given these ratings, one might expect the film to be performing exceptionally well at the box office over the weekend. In a typical scenario before the COVID-19 era, it may have, but not in the present situation we find ourselves in.

Last weekend, The Suicide Squad brought in around $26.5 million domestically, totaling $72.2 million globally. While this does not classify as a failure revenue-wise, it falls slightly below the industry’s anticipated $30 million in the North American market. What led to this shortfall? There are three potential factors (although the real cause likely involves a combination).

Firstly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic plays a significant role. The film premiered amidst a surge in cases due to the delta variant, resulting in hospitals reaching capacity once again as the number of infected individuals rises. Consequently, many individuals are becoming hesitant about spending time in packed movie theaters for an hour and a half.

Over the weekend, The Suicide Squad secured the top spot at the domestic box office with a lackluster $26.5 million, potentially influenced by its simultaneous release on HBO Max along with rising concerns surrounding the Delta variant of COVID-19. https://t.co/iCnyVpJBAv pic.twitter.com/u21XTifdaF

— IGN (@IGN) August 8, 2021

The second factor is the impact of the film’s predecessor. Despite its financial success, the original Suicide Squad from 2016 received overwhelmingly negative reviews. Furthermore, while The Suicide Squad is technically a sequel to Suicide Squad, the storylines exhibit little connection, leading to confusion and hesitancy among the audience.

Lastly, the film’s distribution method is another contributing factor. Alongside its theatrical release, The Suicide Squad was simultaneously available on HBO Max at no extra cost. This dual release pattern has noticeably affected box office earnings as streaming services have competed with traditional theater showings. Notably, certain films released in a similar manner this year, such as Godzilla VS. Kong and Space Jam: A New Legacy, managed to perform reasonably well in terms of box office revenue.