Bong Joon Ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ Exits Theaters After One Month with Estimated $80 Million Loss
Director Bong Joon Ho’s Hollywood film “Mickey 17” is ending its theatrical run after just one month, transitioning to streaming platforms with significant financial losses.
According to Amazon Prime Video’s new releases list, “Mickey 17” will debut on the platform on April 7 at 9 PM (Pacific Time). Forbes reports the film will simultaneously become available on multiple streaming services including Apple TV and Fandango, effectively marking the end of its theatrical distribution.
The sci-fi feature, which opened in 3,807 North American theaters on March 7, has gradually reduced its screen count over the past month. Box Office Mojo reports the film earned $44.68 million domestically and $77.7 million internationally for a global total of $122.38 million. In South Korea, the film attracted approximately 3 million viewers with box office receipts of about $20.4 million, falling short of commercial success.
With a reported production budget of $118 million (excluding marketing costs), the financial outlook for “Mickey 17” appears challenging. Variety previously reported that Warner Bros. spent an additional $80 million on marketing, bringing the total investment to approximately $198 million. Industry analysts suggest the film would need to reach approximately $300 million in global ticket sales to break even, considering theaters’ revenue share.
By late March, industry forecasts projected the film would top out at around $143 million worldwide, potentially resulting in losses of approximately $80 million. With actual box office figures failing to exceed these projections, the final losses could be even higher.
While most modern films rely on TV and streaming platform sales to offset theatrical losses, Variety notes that box office performance typically determines streaming contract values, making it difficult for “Mickey 17” to ultimately escape its deficit.
The Robert Pattinson-led film received a relatively low “B” grade from CinemaScore’s opening weekend audience survey. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 77% critics score and 73% audience score—significantly lower than Bong’s previous works like “Parasite” (99%/95%), “Mother” (96%/89%), and “Memories of Murder” (95%/92%).
“Mickey 17” marked Bong’s first release since winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, for “Parasite” in 2020. The film had generated substantial interest in Hollywood as a major Warner Bros. investment and the follow-up to Bong’s Oscar-winning breakthrough.
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