Box Office Update: Mickey 17 on track for a weaker-than-expected opening

Despite it’s massive budget, Mickey 17 is having a hard time attracting North American audiences.

As we predicted earlier this week, Mickey 17, the Robert Pattinson-led sci-fi flick from Parasite director Bong Joon Ho is having a hard time attracting audiences in North America. While the movie was initially looking at an opening in the mid-20s, the outlook for the film has grown grimmer, with Deadline reporting that it’s unlikely to cross the $20 million mark. So far, they have it opening in the $18-19 million range.

Considering that the movie cost north of $118 million, that’s a terrible number, with it looking like it has the makings of being a major flop for Warner Bros. While I enjoyed it, one must admit that it’s more of a cult movie than anything that would ever connect with a mainstream audience. It has a B CinemaScore rating, which is OK (if you consider WB’s last big swing, Joker: Folie a Deux had a D rating), but with an opening number like that, it seems unlikely that the film will cross the $40 million mark. 

Hopefully, for all involved, the movie will make up its domestic shortfall with solid international business, such as in Bong Joon Ho’s South Korea. Worse, this continues 2025’s box office woes, with virtually every opener since the holidays underwhelming. Captain America: Brave New World drastically underperformed, while hoped-for sleepers like Flight Risk and Companion weren’t able to pull in much of an audience. Family fare like Dog Man has proven to be more of a bright spot, but by this point last year, we already had Dune: Part Two in theatres, with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong both on the horizon. This year, we have Paramount’s Novocaine, as well as the Jason Statham actioner, A Working Man, but both – at best – will be sleeper hits. Disney’s Snow White is the only potential blockbuster, but the word of mouth on that one has been pretty toxic.

Check back tomorrow for our full box office report!