It’s been a long road to theaters for The New Mutants, but the movie finally arrived this weekend to poor reviews and a general sense that the film is something of an anomaly. However, it’s still notable for being one of the first major studio releases to make it into cinemas during the COVID-19 crisis, and has opened with a solid, at least relatively speaking, $7 million at the domestic box office.
Despite the negativity surrounding the picture, the novelty of having a fresh release means that its takings are the largest for an opening since theater chains shut down in March. However, audiences finally getting to see The New Mutants may now realize why it was kept off screens for so long, while Disney will probably just be glad that its torturous development has reached an end-point of sorts.
The studio have also released New Mutants internationally, of course, and might at least benefit from the unusually reduced competition to rake back a chunk of its approximate $67 million budget.
Originally shot in 2017, The New Mutants has experienced multiple problems, with the coronavirus only exacerbating what has been an extended history of reshoots and missed theatrical dates. In recent months, there were rumors that the X-Men spinoff would go straight to Disney Plus, but that idea doesn’t seem to have held much appeal for the Mouse House.
It’s currently unclear how long The New Mutants will be in theaters for, especially if there are more issues with getting venues open again. However, its corporate owners will likely want to squeeze as much out of a big screen release as possible.
Tell us, though, have you managed to catch up with The New Mutants this weekend? If so, let us know what you thought and whether it’s worth braving a visit to the multiplex in the comments down below.
