Bong Joon Ho‘s highly anticipated sci-fi epic, Mickey 17, launched at the box office with a domestic opening ranging from $18 million to $20 million. On its first Friday, it garnered $7.7 million, earning it the No. 1 spot despite being on the lower end of expectations. All eyes are keenly observing this Warner Bros. and Plan B production due to its multiple delays and Bong’s association as the director of the Oscar-winning Parasite.
Surprisingly, neither critics nor audiences are overly enthusiastic about Mickey 17. It holds a respectable 78 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 79 percent audience score, countered by a B CinemaScore, indicating mixed responses. These scores reflect the challenges inherent in launching a sci-fi narrative, combined with the film’s substantial production cost exceeding $118 million, which pressures box office performance.
Overseas, Mickey 17 has already accumulated an impressive $18.7 million, highlighted by a significant $11.4 million from South Korea, Bong Joon Ho’s homeland. This brings its early global earnings to $26.4 million as of last Friday, showcasing its international appeal.
The film features a dark comedic storyline set in an emerging ice colony, with Robert Pattinson portraying a recurrently reconstituted character known as an “expendable,” alongside a stellar cast including Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Colette, and Mark Ruffalo. The narrative is inspired by Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, Mickey 7, which centers on the seventh life of Mickey Barnes.
Meanwhile, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World has slipped to second place in its fourth week, with an estimated weekend total of $8.7 million and a domestic sum of roughly $177 million. A tight race for third position includes Last Breath, Paddington in Peru, and The Monkey, each estimated to make about $4 million.
It’s noteworthy that The Monkey comes from the indie company Neon, already renowned for Anora, this year’s Oscar sensation and Parasite’s distributor as well. Anora, benefiting from its Oscar triumph, expanded to 1,750 theaters and is anticipated to collect another $1.8 million, pushing its domestic total to $18.3 million.
The opening of Mickey 17, although modest, highlights how movies under the direction of Bong Joon Ho, a director with a knack for profound storytelling and impactful works, continue to captivate audiences globally. Its performance underscores the complexities and risks of producing high-budget sci-fi films and sets the stage for discussions about the evolving landscape of cinema in a post-pandemic world.
