The Suicide Squad finally hits theaters this weekend, and it looks to have a decent showing at the box office. All things considered, anyhow. The financial recovery for the movie business has been slow and uneven up to this point. As such, expectations are tempered and things are a bit unpredictable. Especially with the delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to spread. But director James Gunn’s entry in the DCEU has a lot going for it.
As noted by Deadline, The Suicide Squad is looking at a debut between $30 and $40 million domestically. The DC Comics adaptation is expected to bring in around $70 million worldwide in its opening weekend. It’s worth noting that the film will have Thursday night preview screenings, which has not been the case for other Warner Bros. movies this year.
It is also important to state that the movie, a sequel/reboot picking up after the events of 2016’s Suicide Squad, is also going to be on HBO Max in the U.S. on release day. It will be available to stream at no additional cost to subscribers. This is what Warner Bros. is doing with its entire 2021 movie slate, a decision that proved to be controversial.
While director Director Ayer’s Suicide Squad was a critical disaster (26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), that is not the case with Gunn’s flick. The Suicide Squad currently boasts a stellar 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Here is the synopsis for The Suicide Squad.
“Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.”
It is also worth mentioning that the movie is R-rated. Gunn is best known for his work directing the Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel. He will return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is set to begin filming later this year. Suicide Squad, despite being critically unliked, did exceedingly well financially. It earned $746 million globally and even won an Oscar.
Whether or not the financial work out to justify a continuation of this universe remains to be seen. But Gunn has already filmed Peacemaker, a live-action series that will air on HBO Max next year. It centers on John Cena’s character from the upcoming movie. Clearly, the studio believes in the world Gunn has created.
The Suicide Squad arrives on August 6.
What do you think? Are you going to see the movie in theaters? Planning on watching it at home? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
