Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi epic “Mickey 17” has debuted at the box office, aiming for an opening weekend of $18 million to $20 million in the United States (US). While this falls on the lower end of expectations, it is still enough to secure the top spot after earning $7.7 million on Friday.
The Warner Bros and Plan B production has been highly anticipated as Bong’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Parasite”, though it has faced several delays, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite the excitement, the film has received mixed reactions from both critics and audiences. It holds a 78 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating generally positive but not overwhelming reviews.
Meanwhile, audiences have given it a 79 per cent approval score, though it only managed a B grade on CinemaScore, suggesting lukewarm word-of-mouth.
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Sci-fi films often struggle at the box office, and Mickey 17 carries additional pressure due to its hefty $118 million production budget. However, its international performance shows promise.
It has already grossed $18.7 million overseas, including $11.4 million from South Korea, bringing its global total to $26.4 million by Friday.
Set in a fledgling ice colony, the dark comedy stars Robert Pattinson as a repeatedly regenerated “expendable” worker who is killed and revived multiple times. The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
The film is based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel “Mickey 7”, which follows the story of the seventh iteration of protagonist Mickey Barnes.
Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World is set to slip to second place in its fourth weekend, with an estimated $8.7 million in earnings, bringing its domestic total to around $177 million.
A close battle is unfolding for third place among “Last Breath”, “Paddington in Peru”, and “The Monkey”, all projected to earn approximately $4 million.
Indie distributor Neon, which handled Parasite, is also behind The Monkey and this year’s Oscar-winning Anora. Following its Academy Awards success, Anora expanded into 1,750 theatres and is experiencing a significant boost, with estimates suggesting a weekend haul of $1.8 million, pushing its domestic earnings to $18.3 million.