‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ already staring potential losses north of $200 million in the face

On the surface, there surely couldn’t be any timeline in which the fifth and final installment in one of history’s greatest franchises even flirted with the idea of box office disaster, but Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is staring a massive financial loss square in the face after the end of its first weekend.

A $60 million domestic opening weekend was the very lowest estimate based on early projections, but the barrel-scraping didn’t end there. Harrison Ford’s swansong dramatically under-performed among overseas audiences, too, with a tepid global bow of $130 million ensuring that it suffered the ignominy of opening lower than The Flash.

If the Scarlet Speedster’s troubled live-action debut is on course to lose anywhere up to $200 million, and Dial of Destiny cost a reported $100 million more to produce, then where does that leave James Mangold’s blockbuster adventure? According to analyst Luiz Fernando, the answer is in dire straits.

Based on its current trajectory, Dial of Destiny has no chance of crossing $400 million in ticket sales by the end of its run. When you factor in its estimated $100 million marketing budget, as well as production costs purportedly hovering around $300 million, then Disney and Lucasfilm could end up taking a hit of anywhere up to $230 million by the time the dust settles.

First The Flash, and now Indiana Jones; once again, it’s time for Tom Cruise to ride to the rescue and save cinema with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.