As summer comes to an end, Barbie has reigned the box office for nearly a month so far. While Oppenheimer had more working against it, for a film of its nature, it has been a smashing success and a formidable companion. The movies that have tried to follow in the wake of Barbenheimer have not been so lucky — with horror-leaning films, Haunted Mansion, Meg 2: The Trench, and The Last Voyage of Demeter opening premature to Halloween, leaving carcasses in a different manner. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, on the other hand, is enjoying a bit of success while the numbers aren’t quite stacking up against Barbenheimer. And just like in the toy aisle, it is providing as an alternative to Barbie.
Blue Beetle will be opening this week, and there is a lot to watch for with this release. Barbie has enjoyed a comfortable seat at the top for weeks, and it would seem that a new superhero adventure would be the likely candidate to dethrone the Mattel film. In an interesting year for these films, it will also be a new opportunity to observe if superhero fatigue might be becoming more of a reality if the trend continues, not to mention if DC’s films could avoid a third strike this year. According to a box office preview in Deadline, Blue Beetle is tracking to take Barbie down with an estimated debut of $28 million to $32 million.
Additionally, industry sources have calculated that Barbie is due to see a 30% drop on its fourth weekend in theaters. Hype for Blue Beetle is certainly helped in part because it is also a Warner Bros. release and the massive audience that has gone to see Barbie has more than likely been previewed to Blue Beetle. The new DC film is also being touted as a strong focus of the Latin culture, which is a fresher exploration of comic book action films.
Another competitor which shouldn’t be overlooked is a raunchy comedy with an animal-appealing twist, Strays. The dog-centric movie has the strength of a comedic cast including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx providing the voices of dogs in a more adult-oriented version of the Homeward Bound movies, which also featured pets making a trek to their owners with stars providing voices.