Blue Beetle has dethroned Barbie at the US box office, ending the film’s four-week reign at the number one spot.
As reported by Variety, the DC superhero film took the top spot with a lower-than-expected debut of $25.4million (£19.9million) in the US. Globally, the film earned $43million (£33.7million) in its opening weekend, against a production budget of $104million (£81.7million).
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Barbie, meanwhile, fell to second place with $21.5million (£16.8million), an impressive amount considering it was released last month.
In the US, Barbie is expected to overtake The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the highest-grossing movie of the year, having racked up $567million (£445.5million). Earlier this month, the film crossed the $1billion mark at the global box office.
Recently, Barbie surpassed Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to become the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history.
Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, Blue Beetle follows Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) who gains superpowers after an alien scarab grafts onto his body and gives him a powerful exoskeleton.
The film is the latest DC property to underperform at the box office, after Shazam! Fury Of The Gods ($30.1million in its US opening weekend) and The Flash ($55million). In comparison, however, Blue Beetle is based on a lower-profile character.
In a three-star review, NME wrote: “As summer blockbusters go, it’s only ever really mildly diverting. But bringing us a first Latino superhero in a DC movie, ably played by the charming Maridueña, is still to be applauded.”