A new report claims that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was unable to best the The Flash and the most recent Fast and Furious release, Fast X, in Thursday box office grosses.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Pamela McClintock reports Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny only brought in $7.2 million in Thursday previews, which is less than Fast X, which grossed $7.5 million in its Thursday night previews earlier this year.
The film also failed to best The Flash, which had a Thursday preview night of $9.7 million according to Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro.
Thursday night previews can be a good indicator of how well a film will do in its opening weekend, but it’s not the end all be all predictor. Case in point is that The Flash might have best Fast X in Thursday night previews, it did not beat the film in its opening weekend.
The Flash grossed $55 million in its opening weekend while Fast X clocked in with $67 million.
Other comparisons can give us an idea of what to expect for the film’s opening weekend.
The film’s Thursday night showings did perform better than 2021’s No Time to Die, which raked in $6.231 million from its Thursday previews. That film went on to have an opening weekend of $55.2 million.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts brought in $8.8 million in previews according to Variety’s Jordan Moreau. However, the film did not pick up steam throughout the weekend and only opened with a $61 million gross.
The film did beat out Creed III, which grossed $5.45 million in its Thursday previews, but the film went on to earn $58.3 million in its opening weekend.
Heading into the weekend, Box Office Pro predicted the film would have an opening domestic weekend between $60 million and $77 million.
An anonymous Hollywood studio executive informed The Hollywood Reporter that he expects the film to make upwards of $60 million as well. This source said, “We’re sensitive right now and hypervigilant. With that being said, if Indiana Jones does less than $50 million this weekend, then I think maybe we have a problem. I have it in the $60 million-plus range.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Pamela McClintock shared that her and the outlet’s opening weekend prediction is “$65 million or so.”
Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro and Nancy Tartaglione predicted that the film will make between $60 million and $65 million in its opening domestic weekend and $140 million globally.
The film is being panned by movie critics. Popular film critic and YouTuber, Gary Buechler of Nerdrotic warned his followers, “Just got out of Indiana Jones and the Insufferable Feminist. And I mean this sincerely, this is heartfelt, f*** this movie.”
“But there is some good news. I think this is the last thing that Lucasfilm could ruin. And I think it ends the inexplicable 15 minutes of fame of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. But the failure is complete. George Lucas’ legacy, George Lucas’ Lucasfilm has been destroyed partially by a bunch of mediocre white women.”
If you love Indiana Jones films
Don’t see #IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny pic.twitter.com/uYKuQ8tPWl— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) June 29, 2023
Film critic The Critical Drinker described the film as “dumb, bloaty, creatively bankrupt, [and a] nightmarish disaster.”
He added, “Sitting through all two and a half hours of this utter garbage was one of the most tedious, frustrating, and depressing experiences I’ve ever had in a cinema.”
Michelle and Natalie the Red of Force of Light Entertainment described the film as “the most boring Indiana Jones movie to date.”
“This movie was very boring. … I almost [fell asleep] just sitting there,” Natalie the Red added. “This movie lowkey sucks.”
What do you make of these Thursday preview grosses for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?