The Suicide Squad scored the second most-viewed premiere movie on HBO Max according to an HBO executive. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. made the decision to release their entire 2021 slate day in date in theaters and on HBO Max which included high profile films like Godzilla vs. Kong, In the Heights, and The Suicide Squad. The latest installment in the DCEU opened at number 1 at the box office $26 million but was seen as a disappointment where estimates had it opening at around $30 million.
Despite positive word of mouth from critics, The Suicide Squad scored the second-lowest opening weekend for a film in the DCEU, just ahead of Wonder Woman 1984 which was released in December 2020 when most theaters were still closed and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many analysts are wondering how and why The Suicide Squad came in so low at the box office, yet the box office is only part of the picture, and now isn't the only important metric. The success of a film on streaming has become highly valuable.
HBO Max chief Andy Forssell revealed The Suicide Squad boasted the second most-viewed opening weekend for a film premiering day and date on the service. While HBO Max never released official numbers, the top spot is believed to belong to Mortal Kombat. In an interview with THR, Forsell said the studio is happy with how The Suicide Squad performed on HBO Max, especially given the rise in COVID-19 cases. Forssell said:
"As the country faces new challenges due to the COVID variant, we’re happy to continue to offer fans the option of viewing movies in their homes. Many chose to do just that as Suicide Squad emerged as the second most viewed film over an opening weekend on HBO Max since we began day-and-date releases with theaters."
The fact that Mortal Kombat and The Suicide Squad are the two most-watched films to premiere on HBO Max is interesting as both films have a lot in common. Both are R-rated properties, meaning their theater-going audience would have been limited, whereas viewers under 17 could have had an easier time accessing the films on HBO Max than getting into a theater. While Godzilla vs. Kong performed better than Mortal Kombat the box office, the streaming numbers suggest Mortal Kombat outperformed it on the streaming service so both can be seen as a success. The combination of Warner Bros. films being available on HBO Max with the combined rise in COVID-19 cases makes it difficult to determine how The Suicide Squad would have performed otherwise.
The Suicide Squad's performance on HBO Max also hints at a bigger shift in the company. While they have a slate of films set to open in theaters like The Batman, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Warner Bros. also has many DC films set to premiere exclusively on HBO Max instead of theaters. Currently, those include Batgirl and Blue Beetle, but will this mean that films like Zatanna or the upcoming Supergirl film are now more likely to be put as streaming films. What DC properties will be seen as worthy of big-screen treatment, while others are seen as more likely to draw in subscribers. The future of DCEU and Hollywood at large is shifting rapidly and the metric of success is currently unknown.
Source: THR
