Receipts: ‘The Flash’ Falls Flat, ‘Joy Ride’ Debuts
Domestic: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues to pull large audiences well into its fifth week in theaters. For the week of June 30th, the film grossed $21.2 million domestically, down 30.5% from the previous week. As of July 9, the animated addition to the Spider-Man universe has grossed $357.6 million domestically and $284.6 million internationally for a total gross of $643.2 million worldwide. Audiences and critics alike have lauded the film, which currently sits at a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Columbia Pictures production features voice acting from Shameik Moore, Issa Rae, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, and Oscar Isaac.
The Flash (2023) was released in the US on June 16th and, despite reasonable audience numbers initially, has seen a dip in viewership over the past weeks. The Warner Bros. film grossed $55 million on its opening weekend, but for the week of June 30th grossed only $8.6 million. This is a 60.3% from the previous week, which also saw a nearly 70% dip from its second week in theaters. Thus far, The Flash has grossed $105.2 million domestically and $156.4 million internationally for a total gross of $261.6 million. Audience and critical reception has been mixed, and the film currently has a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s budget clocks in at nearly $200 million, double that of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but has not fared nearly as well. Three weeks after its release, The Flash has yet to break even, with some critics harkening back to DC’s Green Lantern failure in 2011. The film’s box office struggles come amid controversy surrounding the film’s lead Ezra Miller, which presented a challenge for the film’s marketing. The film also stars Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons, Ben Affleck, and Michael Keaton.
Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, released to six theaters on June 16th and more widely the following week, has seen a domestic gross of $24 million and an international gross of $14.9 million, for a total worldwide gross of $38.9 million. The week of June 30 saw Asteroid City make $7.4 million. The Focus Features film was produced with a small budget of about $25 million and has already out-earned Anderson’s The French Dispatch, though it will likely not surpass Anderson’s highest-grossing and most popular film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Asteroid City currently sits at 73% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars many Anderson regulars, including Tony Revolori, Tom Hanks, and Jeff Goldblum. Also starring are Hong Chau, Jeffrey Wright, and Steve Park.
Joy Ride, the directorial debut of Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim, opened July 7th in the US to a domestic gross of just under $6 million, falling $1-$2 million short of projections. Reports place Joy Ride’s budget around $35 million, meaning the film will likely rely on VOD rentals to turn a profit. Audiences give the film high praise, however, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91% Certified Fresh. The film will stagger its international release. Joy Ride stars Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola, Desmond Chiam, and Sabrina Wu.
International: Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween - Decisive Battle opened in Japan on June 30th, seeing a first week gross of $4.2 million USD and a second week gross of $2.2 million. On its opening day, Tokyo Revengers 2 surpassed The Mario Bros. Movie and Sailor Moon Cosmos in Japan, ranking second in the box office. The much-anticipated film will be released in two parts, a prequel and a sequel to its predecessor Tokyo Revengers, which was the highest-grossing live action film in Japan in 2021. Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween - Decisive Battle stars Keita Arai, Takumi Kitamura, Nijirô Murakami, and Kento Nagayama.
Xiāo Shī De Tā (Lost In the Stars) grossed $360 million USD in China in its opening weekend. Critics have called the film China’s hit of the summer, also releasing in the US and Canada on July 7th through China’s international distributor CMC Pictures. The film’s gross in China has surpassed the earnings of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the US. The film has been extremely well-received by audiences, and easily beat its competitor Elemental, which earned $49.8 million in the same opening weekend that Lost In the Stars brought in nearly $71 million.
Streaming: Avatar: The Way of Water sits comfortably in the #1 spot for streaming films this week with 1.9 million minutes watched on Disney+ and Max. The film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, CCH Pounder, and Stephen Lang and has a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Extraction 2 continues its three-week run in Netflix’s global top 10, with 36.2 million hours viewed for the week of June 26 - July 2. The film, which runs about two hours, stars Golshifteh Farahani, Chris Hemsworth, Olga Kurylenko, Tinatin Dalakishivili, and Rudhraksh Jaiswal. Extraction 2 has a 76% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, faring better than its predecessor Extraction (2020), which has a 67% rating.