Robert Pattinson’s huge blockbuster set to lose $75,000,000 in box office slaughter

Despite the acclaim and huge attention on leading man Robert Pattinson, Mickey 17 is projected to lose millions at the box office.

The space satire, directed by Parasite’s Bong Joon Ho, sees the Twilight legend play Mickey, a down-on-his-luck guy who signs up to become an ‘expendable’ – a disposable clone worker.

However, when two Mickey clones meet chaos ensues as they attempt to stay alive despite rules stating only one can exist at a time.

Also starring big names like Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, and Toni Collette, the film was anticipated to be a smash hit.

However, it appears to be failing to attract viewers at the box office as it is projected to lose $75,000,000 (£57,957,575), according to Variety.

Two weeks after opening, the film has grossed $35.7million (£27million) in the US and $92.2million (£71million) worldwide — falling short of its budget.

Mickey 17 had a production budget of $118million (£91million), with Variety claiming its ‘breakeven’ point is at $300million (£231million).

However, fans have pointed out that box office is no longer an accurate view of a film’s success thanks to streaming.

FilmCrave on X claimed that Mickey 17 would be hitting streaming, likely HBO’s Max as a Warner Bros film, as soon as March 25.

This would be just 18 days after its initial release, an unprecedentedly short theatrical lifespan for such a huge blockbuster.

Fans were up in arms at the prospect, begging for movies to be given room to breathe and let an audience build organically.

‘We are actively just killing movie theaters wtf is this less than 20 days???’ wrote minergirlsof on X.

‘Mickey 17 literally just came out. We need to bring back the days films stayed at the cinema for 6 weeks+ instead of being rushed to digital. At least give people the chance to watch them on the big screens,’ said EmiEleode.

Artan_ayan added: ‘This industry is so cooked. there are countries who haven’t even seen it released in cinemas yet. This is the return of a literal oscar winning director, starring one of our generation’s most recognized actors.

‘If any film should be seen on a big screen, it’s this one. beyond bleak.’

Cinema attendance in the UK has been on the decline in recent years, dropping 30% since 2019, according to Statista.

This has been put down to a combination things including fans having less spending money, ticket prices rising and the rise of streaming.

An audience which would have once waited half a year before getting their hands on a DVD now only needs to wait a handful of months to see it on the streaming service they already pay for.

Watching from home is far more cost-effective, and offers the audience the chance to pause and be distracted — a less indulgent viewing experience but highly compelling.

Warner Bros have not confirmed the film will leave cinemas any time soon, with theatrical release usually lasting at least two months.

However, fans’ outrage points to growing discontent at the urge to dismiss films as flops if they are not instant successes.

Bong’s acclaimed Parasite had an opening box office of $393,216 (£300,000) in just three theatres in the US before going on to be Oscar-winning and grossing $258,129,000 (£199,437,000) worldwide.

Perhaps, when given more time Mickey 17 will find its audience, even if that audience is from a streaming platform.

Mickey 17 is in cinemas now.

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