It looks like all of those reports about the lack of marketing for Blue Beetle — and the poor box office expectations that followed — were enough to put the DC Extended Universe film on everyone’s radar, because the predictions for the financial fate of the Xolo Maridueña-led superhero flick have gotten quite the boost.
Originally pegged for a $12-17 million debut just a few weeks ago, reprised estimates, per Deadline, now have Blue Beetle gunning for a $30 million opening. Not quite as lucrative as some of its other superhero movie peers, but a sure upgrade from the rather abysmal course it seemed to be on just weeks before.
The film will open alongside the Will Ferrell-led raunch comedy Strays, which is now fully expected to fall behind Blue Beetle in the updated box office race.
As hinted at earlier, it’s entirely possible that all the complaining about a lack of marketing for the film became its own marketing, and given its unique appeal to Latino and Hispanic audiences as the world’s first live-action superhero movie with a Latino lead. Pair this with its admittedly dubious connection with James Gunn’s DC Universe (the imminence of which some believe is partly responsible for the recent DCEU box office struggles), it turns out there’s quite a bit going for Blue Beetle as it gears up for its theatrical debut.
It’s hard to say if it will be able to break free from the shackles of the old DC guard and wind up being a film worthy of box office success, but we’ll get that answer before long when Blue Beetle flies into cinemas on Aug. 18.
