'Mickey 17' Is Another Box Office Casualty Of Grim Streaming Era Status Quo That Threatens to Turn Theaters Into Arcades

Audiences complain about Hollywood's lack of originality. Hollywood releases a well-reviewed, ambitious new-to-you spectacle to poor box office. Rinse and repeat.

Mar 09, 2025

∙ Paid

Despite a valiant promotional effort and a prime release date, Bong Joon-ho’s Robert Pattinson-starring Mickey 17 (a $19.1 million opening weekend in North America for a $53.3 million worldwide cume) is just the latest non-franchise biggie ($118 million) from a major studio (Warner Bros. Discovery) that couldn’t parlay alleged (or merely SEO-friendly) star power, earned plaudits and prestige and/or film nerd anticipation into mainstream awareness or general moviegoer interest. Yes, this is a big reason Tinseltown has been trapped in a ten-year cycle of trying to revive previously successful franchises and attempting to turn decades-old one-and-done hits into monetizable brands. We get the entertainment industry we deserve.

'Mickey 17' Is Another Box Office Casualty Of Grim Streaming Era Status Quo That Threatens to Turn Theaters Into Arcades

Audiences complain about Hollywood's lack of originality. Hollywood releases a well-reviewed, ambitious new-to-you spectacle to poor box office. Rinse and repeat.

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