Mickey 17: Robert Pattinson’s Sci-Fi Comedy Bombs with Stale Jokes and Dull Characters!

by

Summary

  • Warner Bros.’ “Mickey 17” tops box office, earns $19.1 million domestically.
  • Film falls short of “Parasite,” faces financial challenges with $118M budget.
  • Mixed reviews pose obstacles, needs to earn $275-300M globally to break even.

Warner Bros.’ latest movie, “Mickey 17” by director Bong Joon Ho, a sci-fi comedy featuring Robert Pattinson in multiple roles, took the lead at the U.S. box office, raking in $19.1 million from 3,807 cinemas. In second place was “Captain America: Brave New World,” with an undersea thriller titled “Last Breath” coming in third. “The Monkey,” a gruesome horror film, followed closely behind, while the family-friendly “Paddington In Peru” rounded out the top five. The movie “Anora” saw a significant boost after its Oscar win, climbing 15 spots from number 22 to number seven.

After his successful dark comedy “Parasite”, director Bong Joon Ho is back with a new film titled “Mickey 17“. This movie is based on Edward Ashton’s novel “Mickey7“, and it features Robert Pattinson as the main character, an employee who can be resurrected after death. The story revolves around a mission to establish a colony on the frozen planet Niflheim. When Mickey, who was thought to be dead, encounters his replacement, chaos ensues. The cast includes stars like Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.

As a movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that Bong Joon-ho’s latest masterpiece, “Mickey 17,” saw its reach expand to an additional 66 international markets this weekend, according to Deadline. The newly added territories, alongside the film’s second week in Korea, raked in a whopping $24.5 million, aligning with pre-weekend predictions and pushing the international total to approximately $34.2 million. Add domestic earnings into the mix, and the global weekend take for “Mickey 17” reached an impressive $43.6 million, bumping up its worldwide total to a staggering $53.3 million.

This ambitious sci-fi film represents a substantial financial risk for Warner Bros., but it’s clearly paying off, as it set a new opening record in 59 international markets, including all of Europe (excluding Norway) and Latin America. Incredibly, “Mickey 17” topped the U.S. title in no less than 25 of these markets.

However, the local blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” proved too formidable in China, setting a new record by surpassing the $2 billion mark this weekend, leaving “Mickey 17” in its wake.

Mickey 17 Falls Short Compared To Parasite

Despite the movie, titled “Mickey 17“, making a strong opening at the box office, it faces substantial hurdles due to mixed reviews and high production costs. Critics such as Courtney Lanning from KUAF Public Radio have expressed disappointment, stating that the film prioritizes stale humor and uninteresting characters over the exploration of cloning ethics and life values. Mike McGranaghanm, a Tomatometer-approved critic, shares this sentiment, describing it as “a mediocre Bong Joon-ho film,” albeit better than many others. Stephanie Zacharek from TIME Magazine goes even further, labeling the movie as neither funny, moving, nor sharp. The film’s failure to resonate with audiences has left many viewers puzzled and frustrated.

In contrasting opinions about the movie “Mickey 17”, some viewers were let down by it, but others saw it as a potent and laugh-out-loud science fiction parody. According to Joseph Robinson’s critique, “Mickey 17” is an audacious spectacle, characterized by its dark humor and unexpected tenderness. Sara Clements from NerdSpin stated that true to Bong’s signature style, “Mickey 17 ” skillfully combines and twists genres and tones, providing an unforeseeable journey that can sometimes be difficult to sync with its peculiar rhythm. Dana Stevens of Slate commended the film for the severity of its satire on contemporary capitalism in the 21st century. However, with a substantial $118 million production budget, Warner Bros.’s movie faces a steep climb towards profitability.

Movie titled “Mickey 17” received a “B” grade from CinemaScore and boasts a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. These evaluations may influence the film’s continued performance in upcoming weeks. With an $80 million marketing investment, industry experts believe that “Mickey 17” must earn between $275 million to $300 million worldwide to reach profitability. It’s important to note that the film hasn’t yet scaled the lofty heights of Bong Joon Ho’s previous success, the 2019 Oscar-winning thriller “Parasite,” which grossed over $262 million globally and set a record for highest-grossing Korean movies. Following the triumph of “Parasite,” Bong collaborated with Warner Bros. for “Mickey 17,” securing approval in January 2022, mere months before the company’s merger with Discovery, Inc. This film, with its ambitious premise and blend of comedy and dystopian sci-fi, aimed to emulate Bong Joon Ho’s past achievements. However, it remains to be seen if this unique space odyssey can surmount its financial hurdles and secure a spot among the year’s top box office earners.

Read More

2025-03-10 19:09