In recent years the international box office tally for movies has become just as important as the domestic box office. Movies like Pacific Rim, which grossed more than triple its North American box office in foreign markets, have been rescued from box office bomb status by eager audiences worldwide. China in particular has become a significant force, thanks to its role as the second largest film market in the world.
With that in mind, the real test in coming weeks for Warner Bros.’ supervillain adventure Suicide Squad isn’t just how many people turn out to see it at U.S. theaters, but also whether the rest of the world takes a shine to it. The bigger numbers won’t start coming in until tomorrow, of course, but since Suicide Squad opened in a handful of international markets on Wednesday, the money has now started to trickle in.
According to Deadline, Suicide Squad took in $8.1 million from seven different markets yesterday, with South Korea and France leading the charge with $2.9 million and $2.7 million, respectively. In Korea, this marks the second best opening for a Warner Bros. movie and the best U.S. opening for an August movie. As of 2014, France is the seventh biggest film market worldwide, and South Korea is sixth. In Sweden, the total was $564K across 147 screens.
Suicide Squad has already opened in over 30 markets today, including Australia, Russia and Brazil, and will open tonight in over 3,700 domestic venues, as well as in many other countries including the U.K., which is the third largest market worldwide. According to Deadline, the earlier opening weekend box office projections of up to $140 million have been adjusted since the review embargo was lifted, with analysts now estimating that it will open between $85-120 million. The more conservative estimates predict that it will top out at around $110 million.
Deadline describes these as “very strong openings,” which could be an early indication that Suicide Squad is, if not review-proof, then at the very least review-resistant. Its diverse cast could also be a point in its favor worldwide, with the presence of Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney in the cast potentially encouraging heightened interest in Australia (ninth largest film market) and Karen Fukuhara’s Katana a possible boon in Japan (fourth largest). However, there’s no word yet of a release in China, which could dampen Suicide Squad‘s international prospects.
Suicide Squad is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 5, 2016, followed by Wonder Woman on June 2, 2017; Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash and Batman solo movie are currently without release dates.
