“Mickey 17,” Bong Joon Ho’s wacky sci-fi satire, is shaping up to be a major money loser for Warner Bros. following its rocky box office reception.
The film, which stars Robert Pattinson as a clone who works menial jobs in a futuristic dystopia, will likely lose between $75 million to $80 million during its theatrical run, according to three sources with knowledge of the economics of movies on this scale. A source close to the film disputes those estimates, saying the true losses are “significantly less.”
After two weeks of release, “Mickey 17” has earned $35.7 million domestically and $92.2 million worldwide. The film was projected to end its theatrical run with $175 million to $180 million worldwide — including $52 million domestically and $123 million internationally. But those estimates were recently revised down to $143 million worldwide — including $46 domestically and $97 million internationally. “Mickey 17’s” breakeven point is roughly $300 million. Most movies don’t earn a profit purely from their theatrical release; getting into the black typically comes after they have been licensed to TV and streamers and have been made available on demand. However, box office dollars dictate those downstream deals, and “Mickey 17” will hit home entertainment platforms in the red.
“Mickey 17” was produced for $118 million after factoring in tax rebates — a high price for an original, offbeat space odyssey. Warner Bros. spent another $80 million on marketing, including a $4 million spot during the AFC championship. Sources believe the studio scaled back some of the promotional efforts in the days leading up to the theatrical release, potentially salvaging millions of dollars in the process.
Reviews have been positive, with critics praising “Mickey 17” as visually inventive and narratively bold. The movie, which was greenlit months before the hiring of current studio chiefs Mike De Lua and Pam Abdy, coincided with a career high-point for Bong. His prior film, 2019’s pitch black comedy “Parasite,” swept at the Oscars, earning best picture in addition to scoring box office riches. But original films — even those with acclaimed directors like Bong and A-list talent like Pattinson, the star of blockbuster franchises like “Twilight” and “The Batman” — often struggle at the box office. Moviegoers were mixed (“Mickey 17” landed a “B” grade on CinemaScore exit polls), which didn’t help the film’s word of mouth.
“Mickey 17” is one of several swings for the fence that Warner Bros. is making this year. Over the weekend, the studio will release Robert De Niro’s mob drama “Alto Knights,” which is projected to bomb with $2 million to $3 million to start against a $45 million budget. Warner Bros. will also debut Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which cost $130 million and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Other spring and summer offerings, such as “A Minecraft Movie,” James Gunn’s “Superman” and Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller “Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan, seem like safer propositions, at least commercially. Earlier this week, Warner Bros. shifted around release dates for titles including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s $80 million “Frankenstein” spinoff “The Bride!” (now set for 2026).
So far, overall box office grosses in 2025 have been grim as other original films like Paramount’s action comedy “Novocaine” and Focus Features’ spy thriller “Black Bag” are similarly struggling to draw sizable crowds, while franchise fare like Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” and Sony’s “Paddington in Peru” aren’t living up to the heights of their predecessors. Year-to-date revenues, as a result, are 5% behind 2024 and nearly 38% behind 2019, according to Comscore. Will the smattering of upcoming blockbuster-hopefuls, such as “A Minecraft Movie,” “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Lilo & Stitch” and the “How to Train Your Dragon” remake, help to reverse course for theaters — and maybe even turn a profit for their respective studios?
