Looking at the critical score on Rotten Tomatoes for Morbius, you wouldn’t expect a solid opening weekend at the cinemas. But a glance at the audience score will tell you that Morbius has found its audience.
Yes, the much-maligned Sony Marvel movie has secured a $39.1 million opening weekend at the domestic box office. Many expected a much lower opening, given that the box office is still rocky and Morbius sits at about 17% at the time of writing. The CinemaScore wasn’t strong either, with a C+ given to the Jared Let-led actioner. Nevertheless, Morbius brought in a further $44.9 million at the international box office, which brings its global total to $84 million.
Given its shockingly low budget for a superhero film of $75 million, Morbius won’t need to work that much harder to recoup Sony’s investment. Now, can it perform well in the coming weeks? Only time will tell, but a launch like this can propel it to another level. 2018’s Venom was also panned by critics but would go on to score $80 million in its opener and go on to a $213 million domestic total as part of its $856 million worldwide haul.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Morbius here
The Lost City is expected to come in second, bringing in another 14.6 million this weekend. That’s around a 52% drop, yet still brings its domestic total to $54.3 million. The Batman is also still performing strong, heading past $700 million globally and even eying an above $400 million domestic haul with its $3.1 million this weekend.
Next week sees Sonic The Hedgehog 2 [read our review here] race into cinemas and will likely dominate the competition with its family-friendly vibe and decent word-of-mouth from the passionate fanbase. Can Morbius fend off the blue speedster or will Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails slay the vampire?
One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
Morbius sees Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) directing a cast that includes Jared Leto (Suicide Squad), Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim Uprising), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Jared Harris (The Terror), Michael Keaton (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Tyrese Gibson (Fast & Furious).
