Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is still projected to have the DCEU's lowest opening weekend, despite great reviews. By all accounts, the Harley Quinn-led film is another winner for Warner Bros., continuing DC's current hot streak of well-received titles. Critics are in agreement Birds of Prey is a fun, action-packed ride fueled by another dedicated Margot Robbie performance as the title character. And with Birds of Prey facing minimal competition at the box office this week, it's all but assured to land the top spot on the charts.

Just how much Birds of Prey will gross is another matter, however. Back in December, initial estimates had the film earning between $40-60 million domestically, which would be the lowest debut in the DCEU's history. Since Birds of Prey's word-of-mouth was stellar, there was some hope that its commercial prospects would get a boost. But as the film makes its way into theaters, the projections haven't really changed all that much.

Related: Birds of Prey Cast Guide: All DC Characters Explained

According to Box Office Pro, Birds of Prey is on pace to gross approximately $48 million domestically in its first three days. That figure comes in a little less than last year's Shazam ($53.5 million) and well below Aquaman ($67.8 million). Not that anybody was anticipating this, but if these projections are accurate, Birds of Prey won't be in the same neighborhood as Robbie's previous appearance as Harley, Suicide Squad ($133.6 million).

Birds of Prey Cost Budget

At first glance, scoring a franchise's lowest opening weekend isn't a positive development, but things are a little different in this instance. Birds of Prey cost only $97.1 million to make, meaning it doesn't need to break any box office records in order to turn a profit. So this isn't a typical comic book adaptation that's designed to be a massive tentpole and serve as a vital cog in a shared cinematic universe. The plan all along was for Birds of Prey to have a smaller budget, giving Robbie and company the freedom to craft a unique, R-rated film in their mold. And, especially since the reviews are strong, there's a good chance Birds of Prey has strong legs at the box office. It should be able to peacefully coexist with other major releases this month (like Sonic the Hedgehog), which are targeting different demographics.

Another thing to keep in mind is that box office predictions are not an exact science. There always remains the possibility Birds of Prey will exceed these expectations and perform better than estimated. Last year saw a number of blockbusters outperform their projections, including Captain Marvel, Joker, and even Avengers: Endgame (few saw $1.5 billion in one weekend). It seems unlikely Birds of Prey will soar to record-breaking heights (it's not setting a new all-time mark for February), but perhaps it'll do better than some think and launch a new series for WB/DC to develop further.

More: Every DC Movie Coming After Birds of Prey

Source: Box Office Pro

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