‘Blue Beetle’ Director Reveals His Trilogy Plans As Opening Weekend Box Office Predictions Remain In The Gutter
John F. Trent
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Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto recently detailed his plans for a Blue Beetle trilogy as the opening weekend box office predictions for the film look abysmal.
Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle (2023), DC Studios
Soto previously detailed to Total Film via Games Radar that his plans for Blue Beetle involved a trilogy.
He told the outlet, “Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least. And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga.”
Adriana Barraza as Nana Reyes, Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes, Damian Alcazar as Alberto Reyes, and Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes in Blue Beetle (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
These comments were recently echoed by the film’s star Xolo Maridueña, who informed Fandango, “It’s up everyone to show up for the movie and it’s so wonderful that we get to make movies like this and if it does well we’ll get to open more doors for more Blue Beetles and not even just for the people up here, but we’ve got a whole thing set up. So many Beetles to choose from. So many comics to choose from and really just a whole world.”
“We’re super appreciative that DC took the first swing at the live-action Latino superhero movie. So we’re ready to do it again if the crowd wants it,” he added.
Now, speaking with The Playlist, Soto detailed what his plans for the Blue Beetle trilogy is.
He said, “Of course, we can’t put everything in one movie, and that’s why this is the first act of a bigger saga. There’s so much more to be said that I’m really looking forward to saying. We wanted to tell the movie in a way that felt like, what if Latin cinema embraced a superhero film? We spend time with Jamie, with his family; we know what’s at stake and how they behave. The Scarab is an intruder, so when it attaches to him and all hell breaks loose, the stakes are more personal, and you care more.”
Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle (2023), DC Studios
As for his ideas for a second film, Soto said, “Blue Beetle [the first film] is Jamie’s story. We wanted to focus on him and his family. By the end of the movie, there will be questions about the scarab, and I hope to answer them. For the next film, I hope to tell the whole story of what happened to the scarab, where he comes from, why he was sent, and hopefully in the end, who they have to defeat.”
Soto did not elaborate on what he had planned for a third film.
Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle (2023), DC Studios
Soto’s comments come as the film is expected to perform terribly at the box office. Box Office Pro originally predicted the film would only gross between $12 million and $17 million in its opening weekend at domestic theaters. In fact, they predicted the film would only gross between $27 million and $55 million in its entire domestic run.
Box Office Pro Twitter
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Those predictions have barely budged since they were made. Most recently the outlet did slightly increase the film’s opening weekend predictions to between $13 million and $18 million.
As for its entire domestic run, they increased that slightly to between $29 million and $58 million.
The film reportedly has a production budget of $120 million. Thus using a 2.5x factor the film would need to make at least $300 million globally. Given the recent track record of DC films it does not look like the film will do that. Shazam! Fury of the Gods grossed $132.1 million globally and The Flash only scraped together $268.1 million.
Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
What do you make of Soto’s comments about his planned Blue Beetle trilogy as box office predictions for the film are in the gutter?
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