Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Blue Beetle

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Faces Box Office Blues Heading to $25M Opening Weekend

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Faces Box Office Blues Heading to $25M Opening Weekend

    DC Comics is just having a harsh time at the box office this year. While Marvel Studios’ worst remains a dream for most releases this year (Quantumania still remains in the Top 10 of this year’s box office; that’s how bad it’s been this summer), their biggest competitor in the superhero genre is facing some box office blues. After The Flash ran out of steam, Blue Beetle is set to open to around $25M by the end of this weekend.

    Early numbers are pointing to it opening around $9.8M on Frida including previews. The film has a big push from Latino audiences and remains a big theater release but with previews at $3.3M, it’s lower than Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year. With some strong word-of-mouth, the film could still move towards $32M and will finally dethrone Barbie, who is looking at a strong $24M in its fifth weekend.

    Word-of-mouth could still give the film a boost, but it not hitting Shazam’s $11.7M isn’t a good sign that it’ll start beating expectations. The film cost $104M which is lower than others in the market given the habits of $200M+ price tags, but still won’t really make its money back. Review scores are higher than that film and its CinemaScore could give us an indication of where the film is heading.

    Its only real new competition this weekend is Strays. Though the raunchy comedy wasn’t loved by critics and is seemingly heading to a $8.5M opening weekend. At the cost of $46M, it’s not a great sign either for the film. As much as people want Barbenheimer to be the sign of cinema healing, it’s definitely the exception once again rather than the rule. People aren’t tired of sequels, they are just far more selective and it’s hurting overall.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Opens Strong with Rotten Tomatoes Critics

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Opens Strong with Rotten Tomatoes Critics

    While Warner Bros. spent much more time and effort marketing The Flash, it seems as though its latest release, Blue Beetle, resonated much more strongly with critics who saw the film ahead of its August 18th premiere. The Angel Manuel Soto-directed superhero film was screened last week and again last night in São Paulo and, so far, has been a hit with critics.

    While its score will certainly fluctuate over the next week or two, Blue Beetle opened to a strong 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes through its first 67 reviews.

    USA Today’s Brian Truitt says Blue Beetle is “The DC movie universe has been holding out for a hero, and it might just be a 22-year-old Mexican college grad with a really cool family.” And the Reyes family seems to be a hit across the board with critics as Mashable’s Kristy Puchko and YouTuber Jimmy Cage point out.

    Blue Beetle is set to premiere this weekend!

  • First Reactions Hail ‘Blue Beetle’ as a Much-Needed Hit for DC

    First Reactions Hail ‘Blue Beetle’ as a Much-Needed Hit for DC

    Once upon a time, Blue Beetle was destined for release on HBO Max; now, the film is being hailed as a huge win for Warner Bros. just when audiences had all but given up on its line of DC films. The film, which stars Xolo Maridueña as hero Jaime Reyes, screened last night ahead of its theatrical debut this weekend and positive reactions have been coming in droves.

    A Surprise Hit

    Many of the film’s most positive reactions have marked it as one of the best surprises of the summer, which in itself is unsurprising given its less-than-awesome marketing scheme.

    Xolo Maridueña is a Star!

    Fans of Cobra Kai already know how charismatic and loveable Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña can be and it sounds like the new film is his breakout performance.

    Family

    Jaime Reyes’ family is at the center of the film and according to many of the first reactions…that’s a very good thing!

    Though it’s very common for most films to have positive first reactions from the media members invited to the screening, it seems as though Blue Beetle might be the boost Warner Bros. needed to keep interest in their DC films afloat until the all-new, all-different DCU–which Blue Beetle will be apart of–gets rolling.

  • James Gunn Reaffirms Jaime Reyes’ Place in His New DCU

    James Gunn Reaffirms Jaime Reyes’ Place in His New DCU

    For those that have paid attention since its inception, Blue Beetle has been fun to watch develop. Initially planned as an HBO Max release, the Angel Manual Soto-helmed DC flick was promoted to a full theatrical release in December 2021. That theatrical release is now just days away and in another interesting development, the film–which was greenlit and produced before James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reigns at DC Studios–will connect to the all-new, all-different DCU. Gunn has said as much on more than one occasion but reiterated it at the film’s recent screening.

    Blue Beetle will introduce audiences to hero Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña, who Gunn now says “will be an amazing part of the DCU going forward!”

    Exactly how Reyes will tie into the future of DC Studios slate, which is expected to kick off with the animated adventure Creature Commandos, remains to be seen; however, given that Gunn’s Superman: Legacy takes place in a world where metahumans are already well-established, it’s possible that the new DCU could build out from the world introduced on-screen in Blue Beetle. Of course, given the nature of superhero projects, any number of other measures could be taken to make sure Reyes ends up sharing the universe with Kal-El.

    Blue Beetle opens in theaters on August 18th.

  • Closer Look at Ted Kord’s ‘Blue Beetle’ Suit

    Closer Look at Ted Kord’s ‘Blue Beetle’ Suit

    Jamie Reyes will be the leading man in the upcoming Blue Beetle film, but we’ve known for a while that the character of Ted Kord will have a role of some kind. Details remain quite sparse on how exactly he’ll feed into the story or even if we’ll get a good look at his iconic suit from the comics. While the film is set to release soon, it seems an exhibition has unveiled not only Kord’s suit but also that of Dan Garrett.

    The suits are shared by Twitter which offers a first close-up at some rather comic-accurate designs for previous bearers of the Blue Beetle title. They aren’t as flashy as the one used by Reyes, but it’s unclear how much they will connect Kord to the blue scarab’s history. Given that Susan Sarandon is playing Viktoria Kord, we might find out what happened to him as he focused on his research of the beetle that may have inspired his costume and technology.

    The big surprise is the inclusion of Dan Garrett in a costume. Blue Beetle is a legacy character and he was the original to hold the title back in the Mystery Men Comics era of Fox Comics. Perhaps the beetle’s history is long and we’ll only see the costume as Kord shares the history that led to him becoming the iconic hero. Outside of Ant-Man, we haven’t really explored a legacy mantle that goes back multiple generations. So, it could make the film stand out.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Early Projections Heading for a $17M Opening Weekend

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Early Projections Heading for a $17M Opening Weekend

    Yeah, you read that right. Things are not looking good for Blue Beetle. The next installment in the DC(E)U is only a few weeks away from hitting theaters. yet, there’s a noticeable lack in marketing for the latest addition that’ll explore the story of young Jamie Reyes as he becomes the iconic hero. Sadly, Warner Bros. Discovery is not going all out to market the film and the fangs of The Flash’s slip is showing.

    Superhero films have become a dime a dozen, so audiences (especially this year) are more selective about what they want to watch and what not. It’s why we had a surprisingly brutal summer box office with very few real “winners” out there. While some films are managing to leg out, it’s not really rosy for the “big return” of the summer box office.

    As such, the film is currently projected to open to $12M to $17M. Yes, that is what it’ll likely make over its entire opening weekend with a total range not going any higher than $55M. While we don’t know the budget of the film, it’s still a worse performance than Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year.

    While some talk a lot about superhero fatigue, it’s just a blockbuster fatigue overall and people are more selective on what they watch in theaters. Prices are skyrocketing so the expectation on what a film can do is higher than ever before. Blue Beetle was barely marketed and the last two DC films fell flat on their noses. So, it’s just looking like people don’t truly trust the brand enough for it to be worth their money.

    Source: BoxOffice Pro

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Director Angel Manuel Soto Explains Plans for a “Saga” & Where the Film Fits in the New DCU

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Director Angel Manuel Soto Explains Plans for a “Saga” & Where the Film Fits in the New DCU

    DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn recently clarified that the upcoming film Blue Beetle will be the first project in the all-new, all-different DCU. The film, which hits theaters on August 18, 2023 stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes and was directed by Angel Miguel Soto, was originally slated to release on HBO Max Warner Bros. changed gears and pushed it into theaters, providing a bigger platform for the film. Now that its place in the new DCU is settled, it seems like it might just be the beginning for the character.

    “Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least,” Soto told Total Film. “And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga,” the director explained, indicating big plans for Maridueña‘s Reyes.

    Soto went on to explain that Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran have been putting in some work behind the scenes to make sure Blue Beetle can not only stand on its own but also be fully integrated into the future of the DCU. “We are part of the universe, we are part of the world,” explained Soto. “We are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future installments of the DCU but we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn’t mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going,” indicating that perhaps Reyes will soon have the chance to interact with some of the other heavy hitters that will populate the new shared universe.

    As for what those plans are, it may be a while before we all find out. The ongoing WGA strike and the looming SAG strike will certainly go a long way in determining when Jamie Reyes pops up next in the DCU.

    Source: Total Film via Games Radar

  • DC Studios CEO Confirms Blue Beetle as First Character of the New DCU

    DC Studios CEO Confirms Blue Beetle as First Character of the New DCU

    The DC Cinematic Universe is about to be reborn and it’s going to be quite a messy transition. James Gunn is taking on a rather challenging movie franchise, as he’s set to not only end what Zack Snyder started but also start his own take on the iconic comic universe. The only challenge is that he still carries over some of the old projects.

    So, the question remains what exactly will be the new beginning for this franchise? While taking part in the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, he revealed that while Superman Legacy will be the first true DCU film, Blue Beetle is the first DCU character; hinting at Jamie Reyes’ future in the franchise.

    I mean the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman.

    James Gunn

    It’s definitely interesting and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. As perhaps Reyes ends up being transported into the DCU as part of The Flash’s consequences across the multiverse. Of course, it could also be something we’re not even considering as there’s always something that is adapted shortly before the release.

    You can watch the full interview with James Gunn here:

    Source: The Wrap via YouTube

  • Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Blue Beetle is the only HBO Max original DC film that managed to survive Warner Bros. Discovery’s purge. While Batgirl might sadly never see the light of day, we’ll get to explore the story of Jaime Reyes who ends up having an extraterrestrial bug attached to his back. While we still have some time before the film releases as all eyes are on The Flash, it seems a major casting has been revealed.

    Ángel Manuel Soto’s film will seemingly integrate some familiar elements from other tech-based superheroes as the alien Scarab will have a voice. And it seems the one to voice the being is nonother than Rebbeca Marie Gomez, better known as the singer Becky G. She’ll be joining Xolo Mariduena, who played Jaime, in his unlikely adventure of becoming a new hero.

    The entity she voices will be named Khaji-Da and we already got a tease of her voice in a teaser that has found its way online, as shared by @bluebeetlenews on Twitter. It seems they are adding some more distortions to her voice but it’s definitely strongly inspired by the AI voices we’ve seen with Iron Man and Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’ll be interesting to see how they try to make this dynamic stand out.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • CinemaCon: Xolo Maridueña Shares Why Blue Beetle Stands Out from Other Heroes

    CinemaCon: Xolo Maridueña Shares Why Blue Beetle Stands Out from Other Heroes

    CinemaCon has brought us our first look at what the summer has planned for us and it looks like quite a doozy. Warner Bros. had the second day to kick off with quite a few announcements from their various projects. It’s also quite the gamble for them, as they are putting all their money on the next releases truly making a mark to water down the bad blood that rose with their HBO Max activities in the last few years.

    Among their first big new streaming-to-theatrical releases is Blue Beetle, which only recently got its first trailer. Warner Bros. Discovery took to the stage to showcase the talent they have, and among them was Blue Beetle’s star Xolo Maridueña. The actor took the chance to share why he believes Jamie Reyes stands out from other superheroes.

    I think he’s the only person ever to get superpowers and not want them.

    Xolo Maridueña

    It’s easy to say that there are countless superheroes that aren’t quite happy with being given the powers they have, especially characters like Hulk or The Thing. But, it’s definitely a potential first for the current roster of DC heroes that managed to embrace their powers. Still, Maridueña‘s excitement is infectious and it was great that he was given the stage during CinemaCon.

    Source: Twitter