BIRDS OF PREY arrives early on VOD today due to theaters shutting down nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic but, for the most part, its box office run was just about done in the States before this decision was made. While Birds of Prey was widely considered to have come in below expectations on the domestic front, the film did cross a box office milestone ahead of its VOD release.
After making its debut in Japan, BIRDS OF PREY has exceeded $200 million at the worldwide box office. The DC film grossed $2.09 million over the Friday-Sunday period in that territory which brought its estimated total to $5-7 million since launching midweek. The coronavirus pandemic is reportedly more controlled in Japan so it hasn't resulted in the closures that other territories, including here in the U.S., have seen.
Despite the milestone, the gross is said to be muted in Japan and industry experts claim that it has very little to do with the coronavirus. The economy in Japan is not nearly as affected by the virus as Spain or the United States so they believe the film just didn't strike a chord with the Japanese audience. That seems to be the case overall with BIRDS OF PREY. While I thought it was one of the better DCEU releases to date, the film opened to $33 million which was well below the $50-55 million the film had been tracking at. To date, the film has grossed $84.1 million domestically on a reported budget of $85-90 million. With the $200 million worldwide take and what could be a lucrative VOD run given the current circumstances, BIRDS OF PREY may end up being ok in the end.
BIRDS OF PREY, starring Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell & Ella Jay Basco, arrives on VOD services including Amazon, FandangoNOW, ITunes, Playstation, Vudu, Xbox & others today. Do YOU Think BIRDS OF PREY deserved a bit box office run?