After dominating the box office for four weeks, Barbie has finally been bumped down by DC's latest blockbuster, Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle opened to approximately $25.4 million in North America, earning $18 million across 63 markets for a global opening of $43.4 million. While it put and end to Barbie's reign at the top of the box office, the film still fell short of what was projected.
Blue Beetle Hits #1 At The Box Office
Blue Beetle was expected to bring in $28 million to $32 million domestically its first weekend, with its underwhelming $25.4 million marking one of the lowest openings among any title in the DC Extended Universe.
It remains unclear how much of an impact Hurricane Hilary had on the film's opening weekend. Los Angeles was considered the film's top market, but has spent the past several days facing devastating conditions from flash floods to a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. Warner Bros. has said they expect the box office impact from the storm to be significant.
Blue Beetle follows the story of DC's beloved comic character Jaime Reyes. As a recent college graduate, Jaime returns to his home of Palmera City searching for purpose when he encounters ancient alien technology. The "Scarab" chooses Jaime to be its host, attaching to his spine and granting him control of its powers.
Blue Beetle marks the first solo film for a Latino superhero, and has been praised for its representation of Latino culture, particularly its emphasis on family. Lead actor Xolo Maridueña previously praised the movie for its presentation of a Latino family, telling IGN that a key aspect of the movie is that Jaime's family is alongside him on his journey.
“To come through this journey together is something that we haven't seen before in superhero movies and that really is the beating heart of this movie,” he said. “Whether or not you're Latino, it transcends ethnicity, it transcends color or skin because that's something that we can all relate [to]."
