Bong Joon-ho’s latest movie, “Mickey 17”, has reached No.1 at the North American box office. A groundbreaking record due to this being the first film by a Korean director to take the number one spot. With all these achievements, you would think that “Mickey 17” is a massive success. However, this is only partly true from a financial standpoint.
According to Variety.com, Warner Bros. granted the movie $118 million in production and $80 million in marketing. Unfortunately, the dark sci-fi comedy only made around $19 million domestically—approximately 16% of its budget. Insiders report that for “Mickey 17” to turn a profit, it needs to reach $275 – 300 million globally.
This is a huge concern, considering how daring and artistic the doppelganger movie is. It shows the company that moviegoers aren’t receptive to films of this caliber. It’s possible that Warner Bros. was banking on Robert Pattinson as the Box Office draw. However, this is not a typical blockbuster, and the company should have kept their expectations in check.
Films like “Mickey 17” should not be promoted as having wide appeal. They needed proper marketing instead of being promoted as Robert Pattinson clones flicks. The movie is a lot deeper and more thought-provoking than that.
Overall, this should be a lesson for film companies to avoid over-investing in films as daring as “Mickey 17.” That way, the company will have no profit failures and will remain modest.
