The Suicide Squad posts the second-lowest opening weekend of the entire DCEU amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Since theaters began reopening, the box office has been shakily moving towards recovery. While some movies like A Quiet Place Part II and Godzilla vs. Kong found their footing in the difficult moviegoing landscape, others like Black Widow and Space Jam: A New Legacy found their solid openings undercut by steep drops in their second weekends. With many movies also being available on streaming, and the Delta variant causing concern, the box office recovery hasn't been as swift as many predicted earlier this year.

Going into the weekend, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad was expected to hit $30 million or more. The DCEU reboot/sequel was bolstered by a large online conversation and extremely positive reviews. Further contributing to the hope that the movie could post over $30 million was the fact that The Suicide Squad set a new pandemic box office record by earning $4 million in preview showings, the most for an R-rated movie. However, it would later earn less than expected on Friday, leading to a smaller overall total for the weekend.

Related: Does The Suicide Squad Have An End-Credits Scene (& How Many)?

According to Deadline, The Suicide Squad grossed $26.5 million in its first 3 days. Not only is this behind expectations, it's the lowest opening of the entire DCEU behind only Wonder Woman 1984, which earned $16 million in December under different and more difficult circumstances. The Suicide Squad still came behind last year's Birds of Prey ($33 million). It should be noted, though, that it also has the biggest R-rated opening of the entire pandemic.

The Suicide Squad

There are a couple of factors that likely contributed to this. In addition to the Delta variant, The Suicide Squad is available for free on HBO Max. Studio executives have stated time and time again that streaming releases don't impact box office grosses in a significant way, but the particular cases of movies like Black Widow and now The Suicide Squad hint there must be some correlation. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the previous Suicide Squad movie isn't exactly beloved by audiences.

Gunn's The Suicide Squad has somewhat marketed itself as a reboot that has little to do with the 2016 effort directed by David Ayer, and the overwhelmingly positive reviews have all confirmed the new movie is leagues above Suicide Squad. At the same time, general audiences who aren't as up-to-date on details about The Suicide Squad could see it as nothing more than a follow-up to the movie they didn't like before. Even beyond the Suicide Squad brand, the DCEU remains a mixed bag when it comes to its movies, which could impact its overall appeal. The next few weeks will reveal if The Suicide Squad can rise above this disappointing start, though it least has some things to celebrate with its R-rated record and positive reviews.

More: All 19 DC Movies Releasing After The Suicide Squad (& When)

Source: Deadline

Key Release Dates