It’s been a rough summer for movies so far, and while “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” claimed the top spot at the box office in its opening weekend, the total ticket sales were less than expected for this much touted fifth installment in the series.
Box Office Totals
According to industry site Box Office Mojo, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” brought in $60 million domestically for the weekend, though technically it’s a 5-day holiday weekend at the box office that will end on Tuesday, July 4.
But realistically if people were going to flood the movie theaters this weekend, it would be Friday through Sunday.
$60 million for a summer weekend isn’t the best, but the issue is compounded by the fact the movie cost a reported $295-$300 million to make.
Overseas the film fared only slightly better with a $70 million intake for a total global total of $130 million.
By comparison, “The Little Mermaid” earned $117.5 million domestically and $185.8 million globally over Memorial Day weekend this year.
So what happened to Indy over a usually huge July 4th weekend? Honestly, I think it wasn’t just one thing.
- The Heat Wave – Many areas of the south, from Texas to Florida reached triple digit temperatures this weekend, making it unsafe to go anywhere.
- Mixed Reviews – While the movie was feted at the prestigious Cannes film festival, reviews overall have been a mixed bag, with the film scoring a low 68% from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes. It fared better with the audience at 88%, but maybe early reviews dampened enthusiasm for seeing the movie in theaters.
- The Nostalgia Factor – The film played to the fans that have loved the series since its inception, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However older movie fans generally don’t rush out to theaters to see a movie.
At this point, pointing fingers won’t change the totals, so hopefully Indy has legs and can keep fairly steady in the week to come.
New movies coming out July 7 are an “Insidious” sequel and a raunchy comedy called “Joy Ride,” and while I don’t expect huge box office for either opening weekend, they could still challenge “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” for top spot. Then the following week is the new “Mission Impossible” sequel, which most likely will take top spot at the box office.
The Rest of the Chart
Disney has several other movies on this week’s domestic box office chart to note.
“Spider-Man: Across the Universe” came in second with $11.5 million (see what I mean by a weak weekend box office?). While distributed by Sony, it has Marvel characters, so Disney is a part of this film.
Pixar’s “Elemental” came in a close third with $11.3 million, for a three-week total of $88,778,805.
Hanging in at 7th place, “The Little Mermaid” brought in $5.15 million for a six-week total of $280,998,328.
Rounding out the Top Ten at #10, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” brought in $1.8 million for a nine-week total of $354,875,623. I don’t expect it to be in theaters much longer.
And honorable mention goes to 20th Century’s horror film “The Boogeyman,” which slid into #11 on the chart with a weekend box office of $1.7 million, for a five-week total of $40,962,215.
Did you see “Indiana Jones” or any other film this weekend? Let us know in the comments.