Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had a disappointing start at the box office with an estimated $60 million in the US, and $70 million overseas, led by the UK with $8.9 million, all at the lower end of expectations but hoping for a bounce on July 4th.
The hope now is that the Disney and Lucasfilm tentpole will hold in well, beginning this week as Americans celebrate the July Fourth holiday. The movie, directed by James Mangold, should finish Tuesday with a domestic total of $82 million.
Overseas, the movie launched to $70 million for a lackluster global start of $130 million. The U.K. led with $8.9 million. France — where Dial of Destiny made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — was No. 2, followed by Japan ($4.7 million), South Korea ($4.1 million) and Germany ($4.1 million). The pic bombed in China, however, with $2.3 million.
For Dial of Destiny, the challenge has always been about attracting new, younger fans in addition to those who grew up on the franchise. The movie, which suffered a series of delays, cost a hefty $295 million to make before marketing.
As it stood, the movie’s opening weekend audience skewed notably older, with 42 percent of tickets going to people 45 and up, including 23 percent 55 and older. That’s a breakdown rarely seen when it comes to a Hollywood summer tentpole. Even before the pandemic, older moviegoers weren’t known for rushing out to see a movie on opening weekend. The pic also skewed notably male (58 percent). On Saturday, families started turning up.
The filmmakers had hoped for a domestic launch closer to $65 million, but a B+ CinemaScore and tepid reviews are likely hampering word of mouth. One bright spot is the 88 percent positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dial of Destiny is a sequel to 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which posted an impressive three-day debut of $100 million. Crystal Skull, like the first three Indy films, was directed by Steven Spielberg.
We will be keeping an eye on how the box office tracks and if you have not yet seen the film, what are you waiting for? It’s much better than some of the reviews will have you believe!
