Fans are going crazy with the critically acclaimed new The Suicide Squad. Some will argue that is one of the best things to come out of DCEU and the hype is true. The blend of colorful characters brought together with the stylish cinematic use of music is beautiful. Even the effects are enough to say that it is one of the best movies of the year. Everything ranging from the performances to the CGI has left something to be desired for the next projects of the DCEU. But amongst all this one is left to wonder the possible explanation behind The Suicide Squad bombing at the box office. The movie didn’t open with great numbers and we’re going to decipher why The Suicide Squad Bombed at the Box Office.
With the estimates being at $15 Million for the first Friday, the James Gunn-directed DC epic opened domestically with $12.2 Million, which does not look good at all. With initial numbers being lower than the lowest estimation it has bombed at the box office. According to Deadline, The Suicide Squad has grossed $26.5 Million in its first 3 days. This is $3.5 Million short of the estimates. Let’s see some of the possible reasons for this failure.
Why The Suicide Squad Bombed
Releasing on a Streaming Platform
One major reason for this box office failure could be the release of the film simultaneously on HBO Max. Even though experts have denied that there is any effect on the box office numbers due to the streaming release. It is obvious that the fear of the virus in the corner of the eye one would rather wait for the online viewing experience.
Piracy
In addition to the existing reasons’ one major problem is with the streaming services delivering these movies right in the footsteps of the people who would prefer not to get a paid subscription and enjoy the movie for free. And on top of that, piracy is a massive issue in several countries. Sadly, piracy will keep affecting the box office numbers of the film even in the coming future.
The Past Reputation
Essential reasoning could be the fear in trusting the Suicide Squad name, considering the 2016 release was a massive critical disaster. It had quite a good box office success but then those were different times. Some of the fans are still waiting on the Ayer Cut of the 2016 iteration. Even though, James Gunn assured us that his rendition of the Suicide Squad is completely different from what we had to witness previously, the reputation of this franchise is still tainted.
R-Rating
Recent releases have spoken that R-rated cuts are fan favorites and true to the comic book source material but at the same time it cuts off the younger cinemagoers from the viewing experience. There is no questioning that if Gunn’s creativity was respected and the final product deserved the R-rating since removing it would have led to a much less enjoyable product.
Sequel or Reboot?
Ever since the first looks and trailers, fans have been left wondering whether this was a part of the DCEU or not and the answers are still unclear. In many ways, one would want that this is a complete reboot to the 2016 film but the confusion has left everyone wondering. Even the studio isn’t clear about how this would carry ahead in the future as some of the cast from the 2016 film has made a comeback in their respective roles. This has left some of the fans to think that this is in continuity with the 2016 film except for the hardcore fans.
Rise in COVID
The box office hasn’t been able to return to its feet since the last year. After F9 and Black Widow there was some hope from The Suicide Squad. But with the increase in the number of cases of the Delta virus people have preferred sticking to a safer home-based viewing of the movies. Hence the audience that would have gone to the cinema halls if it would have been otherwise streamed it on their devices at the safety of their own home.
Who are these characters?
What is a TDK? What is a Weasel amongst this group of supervillains? These are some of the questions that even the biggest comic book nerds were left wondering about after the release of the first trailer. A proper dive into the world wide web does give some idea into who these characters are. Though James Gunn uses most of these characters as a show-not-tell to represent what the Suicide Squad means.
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