Robert Pattinson’s ‘Mickey 17’ Struggles At The Box Office

Warner Bros. and Bong Joon Ho’s latest film, Mickey 17, a sci-fi comedy starring Robert Pattinson in multiple roles, claimed the top spot at the domestic box office, earning $19.1 million from 3,807 theaters. Below Warner Bros.‘ Mickey 17, the top 10 this week was fairly predictable. Captain America: Brave New World clocked in at number two, followed by undersea thriller Last Breath, bloody horror The Monkey, and family-friendly Paddington In Peru. Anora also managed to capitalize on its big Oscar win, jumping 15 spots from number 22 to number seven.

The film is Bong Joon Ho’s first directorial project since Parasite, the acclaimed dark comedy that became the first foreign-language movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Mickey 17, adapted from Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7, follows Pattinson’s character, an expendable worker who can be reprinted after death. The plot centers on a mission to colonize the ice world of Niflheim, where a presumed-dead Mickey finds himself replaced by a duplicate, leading to chaos. The ensemble cast includes Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.

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What is Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17 Based On?

Many fans probably don’t realize that director Bong Joon-Ho’s latest movie, Mickey17, is actually an adaptation of a science-fiction novel.

Director Bong Joon-ho’s home market, Warner Bros., also expanded Mickey 17 to 66 additional international markets this weekend, per Deadline. The new territories, along with the film’s second weekend in Korea, generated $24.5 million, matching pre-weekend forecasts and raising the international total to an estimated $34.2 million. Including domestic earnings, the film’s global weekend haul reached $43.6 million, bringing its worldwide total to $53.3 million. The ambitious sci-fi film, a significant financial gamble for Warner Bros., delivered Bong Joon-ho his best-ever opening in 59 international markets, including all of Europe (except Norway) and throughout Latin America. Impressively, Mickey 17 was the top U.S. title in 25 of these markets. However, in China, the film couldn’t outpace the local blockbuster Ne Zha 2, which set a new record by crossing the $2 billion mark this weekend.

Mickey 17 Falls Short Compared To Parasite

While topping the box office is a positive start, mixed reviews and the film’s high costs pose significant challenges. “Unfortunately, [Mickey 17] was more interested in stale jokes and dull characters than exploring the philosophy of cloning and the value of life,” Courtney Lanning of KUAF Public Radio said. “I’ll take a mediocre Bong Joon-ho film over the best film from a lot of directors. That’s unfortunately what this is, though,” Mike McGranaghanm, a Tomatometer-approved critic, said on The Aisle Seat. Meanwhile, TIME Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek said, “It’s neither funny, moving, or sharp. The time may feel right for a wry dystopian sci-fi adventure-comedy, but as satires go, this one is more mild than habanero.” The film has also left many viewers with questions, leading to frustration.

While some were left disappointed with the film, others found it “a powerful and hilarious sci-fi satire.” According to Joseph Robinson’s review, “Mickey 17 is an ambitious spectacle. One that is darkly humorous and oddly touching.” Sara Clements of NerdSpin expressed, “True to Bong’s style, Mickey 17 blends and bends genre and tone, offering an unpredictable adventure that often proves challenging to get on its quirky wavelength.” Slate’s Dana Stevens, “Mickey 17 is remarkable for the savagery of its satire of 21st-century capitalism.” However, with a hefty $118 million production budget, the Warner Bros. film faces an uphill battle to profitability.

Mickey 17 earned a “B” grade on CinemaScore and holds a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. These scores could impact the film’s ability to maintain momentum in the coming weeks. Given its $80 million marketing spend, rival executives estimate Mickey 17 needs to make between $275 million and $300 million globally to break even. Overall, the film hasn’t quite reached the euphoric heights of Bong Joon Ho’s previous film, the Oscar-winning 2019 thriller Parasite. That film earned over $262 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Korean movie in history. After the success of Parasite, Bong partnered with Warner Bros. for Mickey 17, securing a greenlight in January 2022, just months before the company merged with Discovery, Inc. With its ambitious concept and a mix of comedy and dystopian sci-fi, Mickey 17 aimed to replicate Bong Joon Ho’s past success. However, only time will tell if this original space odyssey can overcome its financial challenges and find its place among the year’s box office hits.

Source: Deadline / KUAF Public Radio / The Aisle Seat / TIME Magazine / YouTube / NerdSpin / Slate