The Suicide Squad has finally shot past $100 million at the global box office, generating $17 million this weekend in 70 international markets for a total of $118.1 million. The R-rated superhero romp finds itself against the Ryan Reynolds-led video game flick Free Guy in its second weekend in theaters.
The week-to-week hold is roughly on par with Birds of Prey and the first Suicide Squad, but the female-led cost less than half of what James Gunn’s venture into the DCEU was worth ($185 million). The numbers certainly don't look great, and the film will struggle to regain its own budget, but judging success during the pandemic has been harder than ever. Besides, Warner Bros. is also banking on other parameters to gauge the success of the villain-centered comic book adaptation.
It should be noted that while it's unclear exactly how well the critically-acclaimed superhero film performed on HBO Max, it's available on the platform at no extra cost for subscribers. Aside from the box office, digital viewership is the stat that will say the most about the film's success for Warner Bros., especially given the circumstances with rising COVID cases in the U.S. With online piracy at an all-time high, having the film at no extra cost on their streaming platform should help them in gaining subscribers.
The second Suicide Squad film features returning actors Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), and Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang). They are joined by series newcomers Idris Elba (Bloodsport), Peter Capaldi (The Thinker), David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), Michael Rooker (Savant), Pete Davidson (Blackguard), Alice Braga (Sol Soria), Sean Gunn (Weasel), Sylvester Stallone (King Shark, with Steve Agee as his on-set stand-in), and John Cena (Peacemaker). Meanwhile, a Peacemaker spinoff series written by Gunn aims for a January 2022 release window on HBO Max.
The Suicide Squad is available in theaters and on HBO Max right now.