Why Blue Beetle Opened Below Expectations (2024)

Ahead of Blue Beetle's opening weekend, it appeared that the latest DC Studios release would defy expectations and become a bit of a surprise hit. The film's meager tracking debut of $12-15 million increased to a potential $30 million opening weekend, and, perhaps most importantly, reviews were largely positive. The mood seemed optimistic once Blue Beetle entered the marketplace, but that all ended when the final results came in. Blue Beetle opened below expectations at $25 million, and now everyone is scrambling to figure out what exactly went wrong.

Blue Beetle, based on the DC Comics character Jaime Reyes, began its life as a release for the HBO Max streaming service. The film would be the first live-action superhero film starring a Latino lead, and it would also be a part of DC Films' plan to release several mid-budget films a year exclusively on the streaming platform.

This decision was made under the regime of then DC Films president Walter Hamada, but in 2021, there was a pivot. It was suddenly announced that Blue Beetle would receive a theatrical release after the studio was impressed by director Angel Manual Soto's ambitious vision for the project. Budgeted at a reported $104 million, it was a vote of confidence that seemed to indicate that DC had something potentially special on their hands.

The August Release Date Wasn't Ideal

Despite the perceived confidence, perhaps the first impact on Blue Beetle's opening weekend has to do with its August release date. August is sometimes viewed as a "dump month," where holdovers from the summer continue to shine while newer releases can falter and die.

The challenge for Blue Beetle during the month of August is that the film skews a bit younger than some other comic book movie adaptations, and that demographic has already begun heading back to school following the summer vacation. In fact, according to Deadline, more kids returned to school on Blue Beetle's opening Friday, with K-12 off at 46 percent compared to the 70 percent that was off the week prior. There is just a decline in free time for the demo during this period, and their attention is being split as they prepare to go back to school.

Related: Blue Beetle Director Ángel Manuel Soto Says One Thing Must Happen to Guarantee a Sequel

Then, there was the issue of a minimal marketing reach due to the cast not being able to actively promote the film because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Having the cast available for press interviews and promoting the film on their social media could've increased awareness in a big way, especially among the Latino demographic that the film was particularly catering to.

That's not to say that particular crowd didn't come out and support the film since it did lead the audience demos, but more publicity could've only helped the movie since half the battle was already won thanks to mostly positive reviews from critics. There will be a debate over whether Warner Bros. could've done more on their end to promote the film.

They pumped most of their marketing budget into The Flash, which will lose them a ton of money. It's possible Blue Beetle will also make them suffer a loss, but if they had given this film some of the marketing muscle they gave The Flash, they could've seen a much different opening weekend.

The confusion over the current state of the DC Universe could've also played a factor. The DCEU has long been criticized for its inconsistent critical direction, and now, with James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over as co-heads of DC Studios, it's a bit confusing to the audience if the releases that were currently on the calendar ahead of their takeover, actually matter now.

It's a strong possibility this was a big reason Shazam!: Fury of the Gods failed as well as The Flash. If Gunn and Safran plan on mostly rebooting everything, why should consumers waste their money on this slate when it might not even have a place in the brand's future?

Gunn, Safran, and Soto have all said Blue Beetle is a part of the new DCU, but it almost felt like a narrative being pushed when the Shazam! sequel and The Flash both crashed and burned. In a nutshell, there is a lack of trust between the audience and the DCU at this point.

Despite starring Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña, comedian George Lopez, and veteran actress Susan Sarandon, the film lacks an A-list pedigree that may have attracted an audience more on the fence about checking out Blue Beetle. Maridueña is earning much-deserved praise for his performance, but beyond fans of Cobra Kai, not many people know who he is.

This is when the aforementioned ability to do press could've really helped matters. Maridueña has 3.3 million Instagram followers, and he couldn't rally that fanbase to see the film on opening weekend due to the strike. What the film lacked in star power could've been made up by a big marketing blitz from the cast, but circ*mstances made that impossible.

The industry goes back and forth on whether familiar faces in a cast matter, but audiences tend to flock to a project when someone is recognizable in the cast. Maridueña is destined to be a star, but his power wasn't big enough to make this film take off.

Are Moviegoers Tired of Superhero Movies?

There is also the concept of superhero fatigue, which appears to be very real. Blue Beetle, despite its charms and exuberance, is also a standard origin story with familiar beats that audiences are very accustomed to. Aspects of it are something the audience has seen before, and given the increased output of superhero films in recent years, a project really has to be unique for moviegoers to give it a shot.

Then there is general DC fatigue because we had a year when two of their releases were met with an underwhelming reception. Blue Beetle being third on the docket, unfortunately, probably led to some not wanting to give the film a chance after being burned two times already.

Related: Is Blue Beetle Enough to Redeem DC's Past?

Can we possibly blame the weather? It's possible in Los Angeles, a city that Warner Bros. said was Blue Beetle's biggest market on opening weekend. Southern California was hit with its first tropical storm in 84 years, and it saw Hurricane Hilary breaking "virtually all rainfall daily records," according to the National Weather Service's Los Angeles office.

Parts of Los Angeles were hit by flooding, mudslides, and rock slides on Sunday, and Warner Bros. said, "The storm's impact is anticipated to be significant, particularly in Southern California where the film is over-indexing." It probably sounds like Warner Bros. is reaching for excuses, but it is possible that this affected the film's Sunday performance in Los Angeles.

Speculation will continue to spread as to why Blue Beetle opened below expectations. Some will say that the film was more of the same and not good enough to break out, while others will say many outside factors unfairly played a role. It's possible that the film's second weekend will stabilize, especially with National Cinema Day falling this Sunday and offering $4 movie tickets. Still, it's safe to say a bit more was expected from the film coming out of its opening weekend. Where it goes from here, only time will tell.