That B+ AudienceScore is showing its fangs, as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has slipped to the second spot in its second weekend. While not every blockbuster needs to hold on to the top spot, the film simply had a disappointing $60M opening with a $295M production budget. It would need to make at least around $800M to make its money box, and it’ll need to leg out to make back its money.
Though, while some are calling this a bad slip, it still dropped “only” 56% from its opening weekend. Putting that into perspective with The Flash opening to a $55M but slipping by 72% with a similar rating shows that Indiana Jones at least has some staying power moving forward. Though it also has quite a bit of competition that might bring that hold to a quick end potentially, it drop still could’ve been better which may be why the reactions are surfacing as they are.
The big winner of the weekend was Insidious‘ return with a $31.4M opening weekend, which is slightly beyond the initial expectations. Insidious: The Red Door was created with only $16M when compared to other films and has shown a curious twist of smaller budgets making up for bigger blockbuster releases. Though, horror moviegoers remain committed while the general audience is a bit more cautious at the moment.
Joy Ride is the other major release of the weekend that opened with $5.85M. While many are pointing to “smaller budget means more money,” it does seem like that isn’t always the case. The irony is also that the original small-budget release is trailing behind while the IP-focused entry is the one making money. So, we’re just seeing the usual blockbuster developments on a smaller scale than usual.
Going into the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s opening box office was the talk of the town. Many pointed out that it would be on the lowest end of what has been released yet it somehow managed to be the best-performing live-action blockbuster all season. Animation hits like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Super Mario Bros. Film have shown some strong legs, it’s been a rough year in 2023 even as cinemas had hit after hit ready to release.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the next in line with a soft opening box office at $60M. It is a dream for a smaller project, but the film costs a whopping $295M excluding its marketing costs. So, it would take incredible legs for the film to end up profitable though the B+ CinemaScore is weighing that chance down quite a bit. It almost feels like the box office has lost all momentum, as many films in the previous weeks have just not been performing as one would hope.
Sadly, the film didn’t do much better internationally, as it pulled in $70M which is lower than even what The Flash did. So far, only Fast X managed to speed past anyone in its international box office while most are trying to even hit Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′s opening, which was slightly mocked for being lower than Marvel’s usual. Who would’ve known that they were performing as usual just matching the overall year’s performance.
This weekend proved that not even animation is a safe bet, as DreamWorks debuts its latest film, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, at $5.2M over the weekend. That is quite a disappointing box office for the film after the earlier success they saw with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. So, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the latest Spider-Verse film made us believe families are back in theaters, harsh reality has set in once again.
It gets worse once you realize that The Flash, one of Warner Bros. biggest bets and highest hopes of the summer, fell to the 8th spot in its third weekend. It now only made $5M and hasn’t even crossed $100M yet after that harsh 67% drop. It’s especially painful for high-budget fare that has been whelming or just disappointing at the box office this summer.
What exactly is the cause? Perhaps exhibitors were just a tad too excited going into the summer as they piled on film after film. Yet, the prices have not gone down and continue to soar which makes people’s choices way more selective going in. Plus, there was already an onslaught of films early in the year which means interest has just slowed down if the film isn’t reaching a much higher threshold than usual; not surprising given what one is looking for to justify the prices or just wait it out until streaming. Add in high production budgets that are all-in on making their money back and Hollywood is facing a bit of an uphill battle.
Indiana Jones is a household name and while it’s a franchise that has way more breaks between releases than others, the nostalgia factor alone would seem like the perfect draw for audiences. Yet, it seems that even Harrison Ford’s return to the iconic role isn’t going to be putting a lot of butts in the cinemas. As of now, the film seems to be heading to a $65M opening weekend in 4,500 theaters.
Globally, it’s not looking too much larger as it’s heading towards $80M with a potential total of $150M worldwide. Now, that isn’t a terrible start mind you but the issue lies in the fact that the film costs around $295M. That is excluding marketing and promotion costs, which makes it the most expensive entry in the franchise. So, the film has a long shot at turning a profit.
It’s also set to open below Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which pulled in $100M in May of 2008. That film went on to make $790M globally and remains the highest-grossing entry of the franchise. James Mangold is taking over from Steven Spielberg with Dial of Destiny, but it seems a mixed reception from critics due to a risky Cannes showcase that may be backfiring on Disney and Lucasfilm.
The film could still make a decent amount but it would need to make at least 600M to cover its production budget with another 200M minimum to cover its marketing budget, which might be far more expensive than we think. So, it’s a high gamble from Disney and who knows if they’ll be willing to do the same. This lower opening also continues to highlight that what some are trying to call superhero fatigue is affecting the entire blockbuster scene. Did theaters overestimate how ready audiences are set to return?
It’s looking like the opening weekends are continuing to average at around $70M, as another film is joining that club in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. After The Flash was initially projected with that box office opening, the recent boost for Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse may be a hopeful sign that there’s a bit more momentum building up for bigger releases that have been surprisingly mellow throughout the year. Though, the amount of competition in a post-pandemic world might be doing more harm than good for individual releases.
Still, the return of Indiana Jones is set to be a big move forward as the final entry for Harrison Ford as the iconic character. So, perhaps a $60M to $70M opening isn’t quite what Disney was looking for given the nostalgia factor was a big driver throughout the last few major releases. It’s on par with the pandemic release of No Time to Die and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, but those had to compete in a very different market.
The big question mark is that without a bigger marketing push, this film will open below 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That was around $100M across three days but even with conservative predictions, it’s a bit of a headscratcher given how off some have been as of late. The big problem is that Indiana Jones‘ latest entry is expensive at a staggering $295M, which means the film needs to at least make $600M just to cover its production costs. Even with good legs, it might look like it’s a loss for Lucasfilm.
Harrison Ford has made it very clear that Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny will be his final appearance as Dr. Henry Jones Jr. The film, which screened at 2023’s Cannes Film Festival, opens in just over a month and the press tour is already in full swing. In a recent interview with EW’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy gave an update on what the future holds for the franchise.
One of two iconic characters brought to life by Ford, Indiana Jones has been at the center of five films and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series and according to Kennedy, that’s all there will ever be…for now. “It’s Harrison’s last entry. That’s how we look at the Indy franchise,” said Kennedy. “I mean, truthfully, right now, if we were to do anything, it might be in series television down the road, but we’re not doing anything to replace Indiana Jones. This is it.There are five movies that Harrison Ford did. And Harrison is so specific and so unique to creating this role. We just, Steven [Spielberg] agrees, we just wouldn’t do that.” Perhaps partially fueled by the poor reaction to Alden Ehrenreich replacing Ford as his other iconic character, Han Solo, it seems the decision has been made to leave well enough alone.
While that’s pretty a definitive answer on the future of the character, Kennedy’s mention of a potential television series is of note, however. While there may not be more Indiana Jones, the world the character has inhabited over the years included many colorful characters and big-name IPs are hard to come by in Hollywood. Lucasfilm has already dipped its creative toes into that Indy IP stream once, beginning development on a streaming series centered around Indy’s mentor, Abner Ravenwood; however, that project was reportedly abandoned as the studio refocused its efforts on Star Wars. For now, it seems that fans of the character will have to make do with what’s out there and enjoy Ford’s last ride.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30th.
Harrison Ford‘s swan song as Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Junior has been the source of significant buzz since it was revealed that James Mangold was brought on board to helm the film. Trailers and promotional material for the film continued to generate excitement for the film ahead of its June 30th wide release; however, after debuting at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film’s place in the franchise is already being called into question.
While it’s not all doom and gloom for the fifth entry in the series, early reviews that have been made available via Rotten Tomatoes will certainly cause some concern. Though it’s currently just a small sample size of 26 reviews, only 50% of those who have reviewed the film have had primarily positive things to say about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
While it’s not typically the kind of fare that debuts at Cannes, it is a bit shocking that Ford’s farewell to the character has been so harshly hit. Obviously, at 50%, it’s currently split right down the middle in terms of positive and negative reviews; however, even some of the more positive takes on the film echo some of the negative review’s concerns. Though AwardsWatch’s Ben Rolph calls Dial of Destiny “a thrilling, action-packed swan song for the iconic character“, the Playlist’s Robert Daniels firmly states that “some relics should just stay buried,” calling into question if the new film was necessary. “The jokes, the zest and the exuberance just aren’t there,” said BBC’s Nicholas Barber, adding to that narrative, “so instead of a joyous send-off for our beloved hero, we get a depressing reminder of how much livelier his past adventures were.”
Fortunately, most critics, including Geoffrey Macnab from the Independent, are quick to praise the film’s star in his last turn as Indy. “Harrison Ford is the hero of the hour. He never loses either his scowl or his doggedness. He plays even the flimsiest scenes with conviction and dry humour. His performance carries the movie.” Rolph, who gave the film a B score, added that Ford’s performance in Dial of Destiny is “a fitting end to one of cinema’s greatest action heroes, and one of the most iconic roles of his career, with this film.” With the film set to be screened at least a few more times ahead of its premiere, the Rotten Tomatoes score will certainly change. The only question is whether or not that will be for the best.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the next entry in the franchise that hasn’t had a new entry since 2008. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull tried to revive the franchise with Shia LaBeouf set to take over the franchise, but it didn’t quite pick up the pace that many hoped it would and the latest addition is once again returning to its true main star, Harrison Ford.
We’re finally not too far away from Dial of Destiny’s release and during Star Wars Celebration, Collider used the chance to ask Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy to offer some insight into how long the next entry will be, and it seems that the film will be the longest yet.
It’s around two hours and 22-23 minutes. I will say that the early movies were shorter. They were under two hours and 15 minutes. And we talked about that quite a bit… But as you know, with runtime, it’s all about how you feel, right? So, if you’re sitting in a movie, and it feels long… The reason this is interesting is because long-form storytelling is something that we like in the streaming space. So, I think it might be that it’s some kind of carry over from that. But God knows, this year there were so many three hour-plus movies that I felt I wasn’t getting any work done, trying to see them.
Kathleen Kennedy
Even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was only slightly above two hours. So, if they stick to this length, James Mangold will have the longest entry in the Indiana Jones franchise. So, the next entry is going to have one of many firsts as we return to the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. It also will introduce us to a new cast of characters and does open up the possibility of continuing the legacy of this story in a new and unexpected way.
The Super Bowl has once again arrived and did its usual thing by squeezing a lot of money out of advertisers for the chance of getting the most views they possibly could for their product. Of course, it’s also a big opportunity for studios to showcase some of their upcoming big releases. This year had some of the biggest films of 2023 included such as The Flash, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, and more.
In a big and exciting development, it seems that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally broke a pre-pandemic record of pulling in more than 100M views within 24 hours after premiering at the Super Bowl. It’s even beaten Marvel Studios’ own Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which pulled a still impressive 93.1M views last year. And that is quite a move considering its also their second released trailer. It’s impressive and a good sign of the summer blockbuster push.
The Flash wasn’t too far behind, as it managed to pull in an impressive 97.4M, which is also major considering Warner Bros. was more of a sideline during these events. So, they returned with quite a bang but were also closely followed by Fast X’s 94.1M views within 24 hours on Social Media. The latter does also have the added effect that they where the only one of the top three to drop the trailer in advance.
13 trailers were dropped during the Super Bowl with the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Heineken collaboration also pulling in the fourth highest viewing with 87.9M. It may be facing some critical backlash but interest is definitely there for the film and the collab may have been a clever way to sneak in a second preview for Marvel Studios. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was a bit further behind with 43.3M, a surprisingly soft starter considering how big its initial trailer drop was.
Disney’s other major release, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also were on the smaller side at 34.2M, but it also didn’t really include much new footage in its release outside of a few lines. It’s still some time away and the buzz may not be as big, but it’s still curious to think that the return of Harrison Ford wouldn’t have brought more buzz with it. It’s also not first-party data from studios but measured through RelishMix, which also can vary depending on its data basis. Still, it seems superheroes are still quite attractive going by public viewings.
2023 is set to be a wild year at the box office. The month of March alone features four major theatrical releases and none of those are from Marvel, DC or include Tom Cruise! Team MM got together to share each of their most anticipated films of the new year!
Torbjorn Frazier
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is my most anticipated film of the year. The notion of now 80-year-old Harrison Ford leading an action-heavy film is, if nothing else, wildly fascinating and will likely make for a compelling spectacle regardless of its quality. As well, Phoebe Waller-Bridge being part of a marquee cinematic film is only a good thing in my eyes and should automatically elevate the quality going in. And of course, Dial of Destiny will mark the final film score of the legendary figure John Williams, a fact of massive importance to any fan of music in film. No matter what though, the film certainly would have to have a lot go wrong for it to be worse than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Hunter Radesi
The greatest film of all time is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so how could I not be excited for the sequel? There’s a lot of amazing stuff coming this year, but nothing is going to top another animated Spidey movie for me. Peak cinema.
Jeffrey Peterson
Most excited for Creed III. Jonathan Majors is doing great work right now so it’ll be fun to see his energy up against Michael B. Jordan. Jordan’s last few outings felt slightly stale, so if he can do good work behind the camera, maybe he’ll find a second wind there. The only downside is Sylvester Stallone not being involved, so I’d love for this film to still be successful so Jordan can create another lane for them to work together or even muscle the overall IP away. Fingers crossed for the latter and maybe Stallone can get his work back.
MTF III
Pass me a Corona and unearth a long-lost or presumed dead family member (Brie Larsen is definitely playing Brian’s sister, right?), but the DVD thieves turned masters of international vehicular mayhem are back, and I’m living for their return, a quarter mile at a time. Justin Lin’s absence gives me some pause, but mostly, after seeing the gang go to space in the last one, I need to see how they top themselves with this movie’s central stunt.
Charles Murphy
No film on the docket for 2023 has me as excited as Indy 5. Something feels more magical about this one and seeing Harrison Ford in action as Henry Jones Jr. will always be appealing to me. James Mangold put together a nostalgia-driven trailer that makes it seem like he understood his assignment here and put together a fun last ride for Indy.
Dalbin Osorio
House Party, because I grew up on Kid & Play, and, dammit, the reboots of Fresh Prince and Saved By The Bell were money. For a long time, reboots were just ways to cash in, but the last couple of years have seen much more quality efforts being put out, and House Party is set up to be no different. The premise is exciting (they’re partying at LeBron’s house!?), the cast has some exciting young talent, and I’m always going to support more representation in films. Super pumped for this one!
Joseph Aberl
There is quite a list of exciting projects to look forward to in 2023. It’s almost impossible to truly nail down a scenario if one only has the choice to watch one film, but there is one project I am extremely excited about: the new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, Mutant Mayhem. As of now, we know very little about what the project has to offer and only got a logo tease and its cast. With the co-writer of The Mitchells vs. the Machines and a Gravity Falls veteran attached to direct, this film could become one of the best-animated entries of 2023. And that’s saying something with the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the same year.
Shashwat
James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy movies are one of the best releases to date. Everything from the writing to visuals, the movies are miles ahead of other comic book media. Even though they don’t compare with the best movies out there, I am most hyped for the threequel because it will feature a galaxy of fan-favorite characters, from Star-Lord to Groot. It will also introduce us to new characters such as Adam Warlock and The High Evolutionary.
The Guardians are a family, which we don’t see much of in other 2023 blockbusters. Watching this family ever since 2014 makes this movie an emotional goodbye. Other factors which affected my choice were the fact that most of the other movies haven’t released any promotional footage, and that I’m very biased toward the MCU!
Brandi Blahnik
My most anticipated film of 2023? It’s not Marvel or DC! It’s the long-awaited follow-up from mastermind director, Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part 2. The 2021 installment gave us stunning visuals, a masterful score, and thoughtful, inspired casting. Plus, I can’t wait to meet the sociopathic Feyd-Rautha Villeneuve has in store for us. It’s sure to be a masterpiece.
All tolled, 2022 saw 9 Marvel properties released into the wild. Marvel Studios pushed out 3 films, 3 streaming series and 2 special presentations and Sony decided it was Morbin’ time. Of those properties, three of them were among the Top 10 Most Anticipated 2022 Movies as determined by Fandango last December. New year, new list, but once again Marvel properties lead the way in Fandango’s Top 10 2023’s Most Anticipated Blockbusters.
To the surprise of mostly nobody, James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tops the list, which was compiled by polling more than 5,000 Fandango users. To the surprise of many, another Marvel Studios’ threequel made the top 3 in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. In between the two: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse which, interestingly enough, was also at #2 on the 2022 list before its release date was moved into 2023. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (Mission Impossible 7) which appear at #6 and #7, respectively, on this year’s list, were also part of last year’s Top 10!
JUST IN: We polled over 5,000 @Fandango users to learn the 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2023. The Top 3: 1. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 2. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE 3. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA *Note: #GOTGVol3 is the first Guardians movie to top this list pic.twitter.com/1sbA43qLm9
Which films are you most excited to see and which ones are you most likely to hold off to see at home? Let us know!
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