Blue Beetle Release Spells Doom for DC’s Future
Welcome to another weekly installment of Couch Potato, where I go over what went down on the big and small screens so you can be a better-informed viewer.
While Barbie has finally been knocked off the top spot at the box office, it’s still not looking good for DC right now. Blue Beetle debuted at number one, yes, but it debuted with a mere $25.4 million, making it even lower than a previous underperformer, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. With this performance in mind, James Gunn might have to recant his previous statement that Blue Beetle would be the first member of his upcoming cinematic universe. To be fair to the hero, it did what multiple other movies could not do, which was to take first place from Barbie.
The rest of the “Top of the Top 10” is all about Barbenheimer. Barbie had its first week out of first place this week, but it still enjoyed an impressive 36% drop to $21.5 million domestically, helping the doll climb to $1.2 billion at the global box office. Her sights are currently on Super Mario himself, as she will definitely surpass him to become the highest-earning movie for 2023 at the domestic box office. It even has a chance to take the number one spot globally as well, with only $100 million separating the two titles.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer took third place at the box office adding $10.6 million with an equally impressive 44% drop. This brings its global total to $717 million and places the Barbehheimer event at a collective total of roughly $2 billion to date. Although, based on the numbers, this wasn’t the most even group project. Congratulations are still in order to Christopher Nolan for the success of Oppenheimer this late into its release, though.
Unfortunately, Strays did not pack the powerful bite the trailers promised, debuting at a weak number five with only $8.3 million. Perhaps the team behind the flick is hoping for similar results to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which is holding on pretty strong despite a less-than-ideal opening weekend. The skateboard these turtles are riding on is clearly geared for a marathon, not a sprint, as it is approaching $100 million domestically. This is good news for any potential sequel movies.
When it comes to streaming movies, Gal Gadot joined the lineup of Netflix action movies to take the number one spot this week, with Heart of Stone debuting at 33 million views. This has more than four times the viewership of Hidden Strike in second place with 7.7 million views. Interestingly, Untold: Johnny Football debuted in third place but technically tied with Hidden Strike at 7.7 million views. It took third place exclusively due to the hours watched, which just comes down to runtime. So, it’s not only in the “Top of the Top 10,” but it’s also arguably the second-highest performer.
For shows, fans of Dopesick said they liked that show so much they’re willing to watch it again, with Painkillers debuting at number one to the tune of 35 million hours viewed. To be fair to Painkiller, it’s a bit of a different perspective, so perhaps that, mixed with the distance between the two releases, helped give it a bit of an assist. The most recent season of The Lincoln Lawyer continues to be a powerhouse taking second place in its sixth week at the Top of the Top 10. Gabby’s Dollhouse rounded out the top placements debuting in third place with 9.9 million hours viewed. Unfortunately for LGBTQ+ fans of the show Heartstopper, its second week saw the series dip in the rankings instead of going up, placing it in fourth.
Next week, Gran Turismo is off to the races to see if it can take on some of the summer competition.
Stay tuned for that, and until next time, happy viewing!
Special to The Central Observer, Elton Allen
About the Author
Elton Allen is thrilled to be a contributing author on The Central Observer. As a proud native of Central Jersey, he looks forward to getting to help out a publication based right out of his backyard. He proudly runs the Couch Potato Corner and our Health & Wellness section. His professional writing background spans nearly a decade and covers a variety of industries, including healthcare, marketing, career counseling, entertainment, and more.