‘Birds of Prey’ comes in soft with $33.3 million opening

LOS ANGELES — Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” unseated Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” after three weeks of dominance at the box office but disappointed with a $33.3 million opening, significantly below analyst projections of $50 million to $55 million as well as the studio’s more modest projection of $45 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Internationally, it earned $48 million for a worldwide cumulative of $81.3 million.

The result comes on the heels of major DC Comics successes such as “Wonder Woman”, “Aquaman” and “Joker”. The latter grossed more than a billion dollars during its theatrical run and earned 11 Academy Awards nominations.

Directed by Cathy Yan, “Birds of Prey [and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn]” is a spinoff of 2016’s “Suicide Squad” with Margot Robbie reprising her role as the titular comic villainess. It is also the first female-led superhero movie that is neither a period piece nor a prequel.

The $80 million film also features the characters Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who unite against crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). The film was well-received with a B-plus CinemaScore and an 82 per cent “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, “Bad Boys for Life” added $12 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $166.3 million. Globally, the film has grossed $336 million.

Coming in third, Universal’s best picture nominee “1917” added $9 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $132.5 million. It has earned $287.4 million in worldwide receipts.

In fourth place, the studio’s “Dolittle” added $6.7 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $63.9 million. Globally, the film has earned $158.7 million.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level” added $5.5 million in its ninth weekend for a cumulative $298.5 million. It currently stands at $768 million in global ticket sales.

At No. 6, STX Entertainment’s “The Gentlemen” added $4.2 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $26.9 million.

In seventh place, United Artists Releasing’s “Gretel and Hansel” added $3.5 million in its second weekend (a 43 per cent drop) for a cumulative $11.5 million.

“Knives Out” reentered the top 10 at No. 8, adding $2.4 million in its 11th weekend for a cumulative $158.9 million.

In ninth place, Sony’s “Little Women” added $2.3 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $102.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10, Disney’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” added $2.3 million in its eighth weekend for a cumulative $510.5 million.

In limited release, Neon’s “The Lodge” opened in six locations to $78,104 for a per-screen average of $13,017.

The film stars Riley Keough as an unwelcome new addition to a family in mourning. It was positively received with a 76 per cent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

ShortsTV and Magnolia Pictures’ “2020 Oscar-Nominated Short Films” expanded onto 535 screens (up from 460 last week) earning $825,000 in its second weekend for a per-screen average of $1,542 and a cumulative $2.6 million.

Bleecker Street expanded “The Assistant” into 21 additional locations (up from four in its debut last week) to $122,585 for a per-screen average of $4,903 and a cumulative $225,711.

This week, Paramount releases “Sonic the Hedgehog”, Sony unveils “Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island”, Universal opens the romantic drama “The Photograph” and Searchlight Pictures premieres “Downhill.”