Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17, with its high-concept sci-fi premise and stunning visuals, has captivated cinephiles worldwide. Based on Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey 7, the movie explores a unique premise about an expandable worker whose body is reprinted after death, allowing him to die and regenerate repeatedly.
While the movie has earned some praise for its innovative concept with star powers like the Oscar-winning movie, Parasite director, and Robert Pattinson, it is facing significant challenges at the box office. Despite a solid global opening, Mickey 17 is struggling to achieve the box office target of $275 million. However, Pattinson’s performance continues to stand out as a defining strength.
Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson’s Mickey 17 needs to gross over $275 million to hit the box office success
Opening globally to just over $50 million, Mickey 17 has had a decent start in today’s competitive theatrical market, especially considering its status as an original sci-fi film. According to Variety reports, the movie grossed $24 million overseas and more than $50 million globally. While these numbers are respectable for a fresh, offbeat movie, the high-profile movie’s status is working against it.
Since the release of the highly-anticipated Bong Joon-Ho and Robert Pattinson duo’s space Odyssey on Feb 28 in South Korea, the movie has since grossed $34.2 million overseas and $53.3 million globally. It includes strong showings in countries like Korea and France, with $19.1 million in North America. On the other hand, China’s market proved to be challenging, where it grossed only $1.3 million, probably, in competition with their own animated movie, Ne Zha 2.
With Warner Bros.’s production budget of $118 million and another $80 million spent on marketing, comes the big economic expectations of the film. Now, Mickey 17 needs to earn around $275 million to $300 million globally just to break even. This meant that, despite this decent opening, the movie was still far from achieving financial success in its theatrical run.
While Mickey 17, still has potential in international markets, the road to profit remains steep. However, with a promising storyline and great performances, it is considerably fine if it doesn’t make big bucks in the market.
Robert Pattinson’s masterclass dual performance in Mickey 17 is worth the praise
While the box office may not reflect it yet, the movie’s true brilliance lies in Pattinson’s performance, playing multiple versions of the same character. The movie tells the story of Mickey, an expandable crew member sent on a dangerous mission to colonize the icy world of “Niflheim.” The politically charged movie opens with Mickey’s sixteenth reprint, and soon, he finds himself on the brink of death after a dangerous fall into a crevasse.
After surviving, he discovers that Mickey 18 has been reprinted, an outlawed duplicate that presents a sharper and more aggressive version of the character. Pattinson’s ability to differentiate between Mickey 17, a naive version, and Mickey 18, a rebellious individual, is nothing short of masterful. One of the movie’s highlights comes when both versions share the screen and Pattinson brilliantly plays off his versatile range.
For over a decade, Pattinson has been making unconventional choices, from Twilight to Batman, consistently surprising the audience with his range. Many critics praised his comedic sense in the movie. In Mickey 17, he not only delivers a versatile range but also tackles a role that could be remembered as one of his finest.
In the end, whether or not the film achieves box office success, Pattinson’s work in this role proves once again why he is one of the most talented actors of his generation.
Mickey 17 is running in theatres now.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
